KURUDUADUA'S CHARACTER, 209 



carefully translated the import of the paper, and I at- 

 testing the chiefs signature. 



Whilst sitting in the little cahin of the schooner, 

 Kuruduadua asked about a variety of subjects, and ge- 

 nerally exclaimed, "Ah! ye white men are superior 

 people. We are ignorant savages !" He was much 

 pleased with that volume of Wilkes's ' Narrative of the 

 United States Exploring Expedition ' relating to Fiji and 

 Tonga. Indeed, all the natives who saw it were en- 

 raptured with that beautiful publication. So faithful 

 are the representations of places and persons, that the 

 natives instantly recognized them. The portraits of 

 Tanoa, the father of King Cakobau, and that of the 

 Queen of Rewa, pleased them mightily. They always 

 exclaimed, " They live ! They can see ! They speak !" 

 I wish the artist had been there to hear the praise la- 

 vished upon his productions. 



Kuruduadua left very late, and Danford went with 

 him. Always making it a point to speak of people as 

 I find them, I have nothing to say except what is in 

 their favour. Both of them had been of the greatest 

 service to us, and behaved well. Kuruduadua we found 

 an intelligent, straightforward man, quite ready to listen 

 to reason, prepared to come up to any obligations he 

 had taken upon himself, and detesting all half-measures, 

 all sham. Of Danford I have already spoken. He has 

 been a pioneer, whose services in that direction I should 

 not be inclined to undervalue, and without whom one 

 of the most interesting episodes of my life would pro- 

 bably not have occurred. 



We finally left the Navua river on the 5th of Sep- 



p 



