268 A MISSION TO VITL 



canvas, soon lost sight of Nukubati and its young com- 

 munity.* 



Macua,ta now began to revive. Eitova eagerly set 

 about rebuilding his town on Nukubati, and white 

 traders again nocked to the coast, as in days of yore. 

 This turn of affairs was far from pleasing to the Ton- 

 guese ; they were indefatigable in promoting discontent 

 and disturbance, and scarcely had Ritova's town been re- 

 built than the Tonguese burned it down again. Bete, 

 Maafu's willing tool, could not resist the temptation of 

 playing once more the traitor. Under the pretext of 

 making a durable peace, he coaxed Eitova over to 

 Naduri, where he had arranged with a party of moun- 

 taineers to rush into the town and club Eitova and his 

 family. Eitova went into the trap : fortunately his son 

 heard of the scheme, and reported it to his father. Ei- 

 tova went off in one of his canoes, professedly to drink 

 kava, in reality to hold a council with his old men ; 

 whilst the son remained on shore to lull suspicion. 

 Bete, in order to bring Eitova on shore, invited him to 

 a bowl of kava ; and the son, seeing the moment had 

 arrived when all were to be massacred, told his father 

 their imminent peril. They were all in Bete's power : 

 what were they to do ? The son urged the necessity of 

 assuming the offensive, and killing Bete without delay ; 

 Eitova hesitated, but the young fellow went ashore, met 

 Bete just in front of his house, charged him with the 



* It is only up to this date that I can speak from personal experience 

 of the events that occurred ; what follows has been derived from a com- 

 munication in the ' Athenaeum,' from private letters, and from Commodore 

 Seymour's and other dispatches published in the ' Fijian Blue-book.' 



