CHIEF BETE. 261 



tion intended for the whole community. This measure 

 had the desired effect. Finding that the landholders 

 were going on board, and act independently of him, Bete 

 deemed it prudent to change his mind, and he soon after 

 stepped on board. 



Long ere this the sun had set, but the moon made 

 every object distinctly visible. Bete was accompanied 

 by the Tonguese teacher of his town, and his principal 

 spokesman, who, however, hardly uttered a word during 

 the whole interview. Having shaken hands all round, 

 the chief was asked to sit down on deck, and all of us 

 did the same. A Fijian chief is generally a fine man 

 physically, considerably taller than his subjects, and pos- 

 sessing that commanding air which shows that he feels 

 himself a chief. Bete, though more than the middle 

 height, had nothing imposing in his bearing, and his 

 face portrayed weakness and irresolution of character. 

 Though backed by the whole influence of Maafu, he 

 never acquired any ascendency over the people he was 

 set to govern ; they openly disobeyed his orders ; and 

 foreigners found it useless to enter into any arrangement 

 with him about the revival of the beche-de-mer trade, as 

 he had not power sufficient to compel the necessary 

 number of people to procure a shipload full of that 

 valuable article. When younger, he had been guilty of 

 murdering a white man of the name of Cunningham, 

 who had a handsome wife from Kotuma, whom his 

 father afterwards added to his harem. Nor had vessels 

 going near his place been always safe : a few years ago 

 the ' Paul Jones ' and another little schooner, the ' Gla- 

 diator,' with British subjects on board, were fired into, 



