220 



Thokanauto's house. __,-.,__,_, ^TJ/^TTT) Expedition under Lieutenant Budd. 



Tribute from the people of Kantavu. r KjKj ' i vrtiuur. Night with Tliokanauto, or Mr. Phillips. 



common practice with them; and when, on one 

 occasion, a stranger took the liberty to peep in at 

 his door, he is said to have asked him if his head 

 was made of iron that he dared thus to presume. 



Thokanauto's house was occupied by several of 

 our gentlemen during their stay. It is quite a 

 large establishment, and was one of the noisiest 

 that can well be imagined; for Phillips himself 

 being absent with the boats, his wife did not pos- 

 sess the requisite authority to maintain order. On 

 the first night of their lodging there, about fifty 

 persons, men, women, and children, were collected, 

 feasting, drinking ava, and maintaining a prodigi- 

 ous racket. They were apparently engaged in 

 detailing and discussing the events that had taken 

 place on board ship, and the narrative was con- 

 stantly interrupted by jokes, laughter, expressions 

 of astonishment, and arguments leading to sharp 

 words, until the shrill voice of the young mistress 

 of the mansion was heard in earnest expostulation. 

 The eloquence of Phillips's orator, and his many 

 barbers, was not to be so easily repressed; and 

 after a few moments' silence, an altercation arose, 

 that gradually grew into a quarrel and terminated 

 in a furious fight, in which one of the combatants 

 was thrown against the musquito-bar serving as a 

 screen to our gentlemen, breaking down one end 

 of it. They now sought their arms, and placed 

 themselves on their guard for self-protection, not 

 knowing what Feejee ferocity and treachery might 

 bring about. The hostess at last interfered with 

 some effect, and put down the commotion, and the 

 house was quieted for the night, excepting the 

 rats and mice, which during the nocturnal hours 

 took full possession. Little can one imagine the 

 noise of these rat races; Whittington's cat here 

 would indeed he worth her golden price. 



Mr. Agate made good use of his short stay at Rewa. 

 While wandering about, he was met by a priest, 

 who came to him and signified by signs he wished 

 him to sketch something, and at the same time 

 pointing to a house. Mr. Agate followed him in. 

 There were a large number of retainers present, 

 and shortly after his entrance a man was aroused 

 from his mat, who said he wished his likeness 

 taken. His head was dressed in the most elabo- 

 rate and extravagant fashion of Rewa, and from 

 the number of his retainers he appeared to be a 

 high chief. A day or two after he proved to be 

 the notorious Vendovi, brother to the king, and the 

 person whom we desired to capture. He had his 

 face smeared with oil and lamp-black. 



From his head-dress our gentlemen recognised 

 him as the individual who had been their guide in 

 one of the short excursions they had made in the 

 neighbourhood, and with whom they had been so 

 much pleased when they offered him a reward for 

 his services. 



Mr. Agate also obtained good likenesses of the 

 king and queen. 



Whilst he was employed in sketching these, he 

 witnessed the delivery of their tribute by the people 

 of Kantavu. When the king was seated in state, 

 with his principal officers around him, the chiefs of 

 Kantavu appeared, each encircled with many folds 

 of tapa and mats. After leaving their clubs, &c., 

 near the door, they entered, crouching upon their 

 hands and feet, and thus passed round the semi- 

 circle to their appointed places. Their chief con- 

 tinued to proceed towards the king, and when 



near, presented his majesty with a whale's tooth, 

 neatly slung in the manner of a powder-horn. 

 The king, on receiving it, answered, " Endina." 

 The chief then retired, and was followed by 

 another, who, after disburdening himself of the 

 tapa in which he was enveloped, gave place to 

 another, and so on to the last. Each offering 

 was acknowledged by the king in the same tone of 

 voice and manner. When all had been received, 

 they retired in the same order they had entered, 

 and the king took especial care to place the new 

 acquisitions among his valuables. This was un- 

 derstood to be the tribute for a year. 



These presents are usually received in the square 

 before the king's house, and a dance generally fol- 

 lows. But owing to the heavy rains, which had 

 converted not only this spot, but the whole of 

 Rewa, into a mud-puddle, they were deprived of 

 an opportunity of witnessing one of these tribute 

 dances ; a deprivation which they much regretted, 

 for foreigners seldom have an opportunity of seeing 

 them. 



The expedition under Lieutenant Budd, that 

 went to explore the river, had now returned, 

 after having proceeded forty-five miles above 

 Rewa, which is ten miles farther than it had been 

 before ascended. The party consisted of Lieute- 

 nant Budd, Passed-Midshipman Davis, and Mr. 

 Peale, with two boats. They left the ship at one 

 o'clock, and in consequence of rain took refuge in 

 an mbure at the town of Vatia. There they found 

 a large quantity of arms, collected by a tax on each 

 male, of a spear, club, &c. These being kept in a 

 consecrated place, the wounds made by them are 

 considered as always fatal, while the same kind of 

 injury by a new orunconsecrated spear would heal. 

 They had here an opportunity of seeing the rever- 

 ence paid to Phillips, who is a very high chief. 

 Whenever the natives saw him, they invariably 

 dropped on their hams until he passed; when he 

 spoke to them, they clapped the palms of their 

 hands together; and in his presence none presumed 

 to walk upright. 



In the village they saw quantities of the cyrenas 

 and lingula shells, the tenants of which had been 

 eaten by the inhabitants. They found subsequently 

 on their trip, that the former made excellent soup. 

 This village is famous for its pottery, and some 

 earthen jars were seen that would hold a barrel of 

 water. The clay of which they are made is yellow, 

 and is dug out of the banks of the river. The mode 

 of modelling these vessels is described in another 

 place. The pots are very light, and of many fanci- 

 ful shapes; but they are quite fragile. 



They reached Rewa before dark, and took up 

 their lodgings in Phillips's house, which is one of 

 tKe largest in Rewa, and built in the same manner 

 as the king's. Screens of ornamented tapa were 

 used to divide it into apartments, and the floor, was 

 neatly covered with mats. The furniture consisted 

 of a hand-organ, table, benches, several arm-chests, 

 and a closet. To crown all, the supper-table was 

 laid with a cloth, dishes, plates, knives, and forks, 

 and they were waited on by his white steward 

 (an Italian), who was left here sick by The Cur- 

 rency Lass under his charge. He has also a white 

 carpenter. 



The night was passed uncomfortably, in conse- 

 quence of the many noisy natives who assembled to 

 drink ava. The ava-bowl of Phillips was three feet 



