3U2 THE CRUISE OF TEE ' GUEAQOA.' 



It had been at our first visit here intended to land a forcx^ 

 for tlie purpose of inllicting punishment on one of the chiefs' 

 villages ; but Lieutenant Meade liaving volunteered, with a 

 native for his guide, to examine the interior during the 

 night, reported it, after a trip attended with much risk, to 

 be so entirely impracticable for military objects, that the 

 Commodore felt bound to abandon a land-attack. Ac- 

 cordingly, as soon as he now learnt through the Missionary 

 that the hostile chiefs doggedly refused to come, he ordered 

 to v«-eigh at one p.m., and proceeded to the northward 

 under steam along the land, until he came to anchor in 

 fifteen fathoms at about 350 yards off the village of 

 Sifu, which it was his intention to bombard. Mr. Gor- 

 don had told the crew of his Avhale boat, after he came 

 on board the ' Cura9oa,' to return to Dillon's Bay, but 

 they seemed to prefer following us to see the liring. The 

 Missionary begged the Commodore to spare the school-house. 

 The women had been warned to clear out with their 

 children, but it appeared they had m t availed themselves 

 of it, for many were seen making their escape along the 

 water-side with men also, after the first shot was fired. 



At a quarter past two o'clock fire was opened on the village 

 of Sifu with the port guns, and Sub-Lieutenant Bolitho, who 

 was sent away in the cutter, threw rockets upon the village 

 and its environs. The firing was not so good as at Tanna ; 

 there being a good deal of swell on ; six or seven rounds of 

 shells from the 112-pounder Armstrong were fired. 



On the shore I could see some of the natives walking 



