Cause of the threatened war. 



TONGATABOO. 



Messenger sent to the heathen 

 party. 



181 



judged it time to move an adjournment, and the 

 council was broken up. 



All now became bustle and apparent confusion ; 

 every one was in motion ; the whole village, in- 

 cluding the women and children, carrying baskets, 

 hoes, sticks, &c., besides their arms and war in- 

 struments : all were going to the yam-grounds, 

 expecting an engagement with the heathen. It 

 had a fine effect to see them passing quickly 

 through the beautiful cocoa-nut groves, in com- 

 panies of fifteen to twenty, in their martial cos- 

 tumes, painted, belted, and turbaned, some of the 

 finest specimens of the human race that can well 

 be imagined, surpassing in symmetry and grace 

 those of all the other groups we had visited. The 

 fashion of their warlike dress is changed for every 

 battle, in order to act as a disguise, and prevent 

 them from being known to the enemy, but yet they 

 are readily distinguished by their own party. 



Anxious to know the actual cause of the war, I 

 made every inquiry that was in my power, and 

 satisfied myself that it was in a great measure a 

 religious contest, growing out of the zeal the mis- 

 sionaries have to propagate the Gospel, and convert 

 the heathen. With this is combined the desire of 

 King George, or Taufaahau, who is already master 

 of Hapai and Vavao, to possess himself of all the 

 islands of the group. About three years prior to 

 our visit, a war had broken out in Tonga of a 

 similar character, and the Christian party being 

 hard pressed, sent to ask the aid of King George, 

 who came, relieved them, and defeated their 

 enemies. Mr. Rabone, the missionary above spoken 

 of, was residing at Hihifo, a town or fortress on 

 the west end of the island, where he converted a 

 few of the natives, who were required to remove 

 from the district by the ata, which is the title the 

 governor of the district bears. They refused, as 

 they asserted their lands were all there, and they 

 wished to remain. About the same time, Mr. 

 Rabone thought proper to shoot one of their 

 sacred pigeons, which incensed the people against 

 him ; for if a native had committed the same act, 

 he would have been clubbed, and as he himself 

 confessed he knew their superstitious feeling for 

 this bird. Mr. Rabone, in consequence of this 

 occurrence, was obliged to remove to Nukualofa. 

 The heathen also complained that their temples 

 were desecrated, their customs broken in upon, 

 and their pleasures destroyed by the Christian 

 party, who endeavoured to interdict their com- 

 forts, and force laws upon them in the shape of 

 taboos through their king ; that they even prohi- 

 bited the smoking of tobacco, an innocent pleasure, 

 which the natives have long been accustomed to, 

 and take great delight in, but which is now for- 

 bidden by royal ordinance to the Christian party, 

 and any infraction of the law severely punished. 

 The heathen now said that they could no longer 

 endure these acts, and were determined to resist 

 them by retaliation, and prevent the further pro- 

 pagation of the Christian religion. 



The natives who had renounced heathenism, and 

 joined the Christian party, finding they were not 

 permitted to remain at Hihifo, retired to a short 

 distance from it, and built themselves a small 

 fortress, which the ata finally blockaded. The 

 Christian party now sent for aid to Nukualofa, 

 and having enlisted the feelings of the mission- 

 aries and their adherents in the cause, they sent a 



message for King George, who again came with a 

 large force from Hapai and Vavao to their assist- 

 ance. On his arrival, a long conference ensued, 

 in which the ata expressed himself desirous of 

 treating for peace, and proposed that a conference 

 should take place in his fort. 



To this King George assented, and proceeded to 

 the small Christian fortress in the vicinity of 

 Hihifo, where it is said he was met by a deserter 

 from Hihifo, who told him that the only purpose of 

 inviting him to a conference there was to assassi- 

 nate him and his chiefs. This story was said to 

 have been confirmed from other sources, but this 

 additional evidence seemed far from being satis- 

 factory. King George immediately resolved to in- 

 vest and storm the fortress of Hihifo; and, for the 

 purpose of diminishing the enemy's strength, had 

 recourse to a singular stratagem. He directed all 

 of his men who had any friends or acquaintances 

 in Hihifo, and of these there were many, to ad- 

 vance towards the walls, and each one to call to 

 his relation, friend, or acquaintance within, and 

 assure him of safety if he would desert ! This had 

 the desired effect, and a great many persons, forming 

 a large part of the garrison, jumped over the wall, 

 and joined the besiegers. The remainder, being 

 weakened and disheartened, surrendered. Thus 

 the difficulty ended for the present, the rest of the 

 heathen not having yet joined in the affair, 

 although it was said they were fully prepared for 

 hostilities. King George now re embarked, to re- 

 turn home with his warriors, sailing for Honga 

 Tonga and Honga Hapai, which is the route 

 taken in their voyages when going back to Vavao. 



The following account of the resolution he took 

 there was derived from King George, througli Mr. 

 Tucker, and clearly proved to my mind that his 

 object now was to enlarge his dominions, by add- 

 ing to them the island of Tonga. " Here he 

 reflected upon the subject of his departure, and 

 the defenceless state of King Josiah or Tubou ; 

 and he was so forcibly struck with his danger, 

 and that of the missionaries, that he resolved to 

 return, and remain at Nukualofa until the heathen 

 were finally subdued." We, in consequence, found 

 him established, building and fortifying a town, 

 and his forces daily arriving from Vavao and 

 Hapai. Indeed his whole conduct did not leave 

 us any room to doubt what his intentions were, 

 and that the missionaries and he were mutually 

 serving eacli other's cause. I mentioned my 

 suspicions, relative to King George's ambition, to 

 the missionaries, and how likely it would be to 

 prevent any reconciliation or peace with the 

 heathen, and was much surprised and struck 

 with the indifference with which Mr. Rabone 

 spoke of the war. He was evidently more inclined 

 to have it continue than desirous that it should 

 be put a stop to ; viewing it, in fact, as a means 

 of propagating the Gospel. I regretted to hear 

 such sentiments, and had little hope, after becoming 

 aware of them, of being instrumental in bringing 

 about a peace, when such unchristian views ex- 

 isted where it was least to be expected. 



On consultation, Eliza Anne Tubou was selected 

 as the most proper messenger of peace that could 

 be sent, and the only one indeed who could go with 

 safety. She is the daughter of Faatu, the heathen 

 chief of Moa, one of the largest heathen fortresses; 

 is married to a chief of the Christian party. She 



