HOSTILITIES. 29- 



shell expedition. We found the Treasury people in a great dread 

 of the daily arrival of Kopana ; and I had some difficulty in getting 

 natives to accompany me in my excursions about the island. They 

 did not care to leave the vicinity of the village ; and I found many 

 of the bush-paths familiar to me in the previous year partly over- 

 grown. Apparently through a sense of shame, Mule and his natives 

 avoided telling us anytliing about the act of retaliation ; they werCs 

 however, loud in their endeavours to cast aspersions on Kopana, 

 On our arrival at Aln, we learned the truth from Gorai to whom 

 Mule had sent a native, who took a passage with us, asking him not 

 to be too communicative in ease we made inquiries. As it happened, 

 however, the Treasury native was kept on board, and Lieutenant 

 Oldham, on landing, learned the part Mule had played. Kopana 

 was apparently quite conscious of his own responsibility in the matter, 

 as he had left a present with Gorai to be given to the captain of any 

 man-of-war who should come to punish him. Thus closed the first 

 scene of this tragedy. 



Whilst we lay at anchor off Gorai 's village, it was evident that 

 there was trouble brewing. The natives accompanying me in my 

 geological excursions carried arms contrary to their usual practice. 

 On the same day the two principal villages were found deserted ;. 

 and Gorai shifted his residence to another islet. Rumours became 

 rife that the Treasury and Shortland natives had met with blood- 

 shed; but the men we questioned made so many wilful misstatements 

 that it was impossible to learn what had really happened. At 

 length the truth came out. Being in Gorai's house one morning, I 

 was told by the chief that his son had been attacked five days be- 

 fore by the Treasury natives on the islet of Tuluba, ofi" the west 

 coast of Alu, that Kopana's canoe had returned without his master, 

 brino-ing a man and a woman badly wounded, and that he shortly ex- 

 pected the return of two large war-canoes which he had sent to the 

 scene of the encounter. These two canoes returned whilst I was 

 talkino- to the chief on the beach, bringino; a few more survivors 

 but without Kopana. The old chief then took it for granted that 

 his eldest son was dead, and in telling me so showed no emotion 

 whatever. In the evening, however, we learned, to our astonish- 

 ment, that Kopana had returned, having not been engaged in the 

 fray. It seemed that at the time of the encounter he was on a 

 neighbouring islet. After some difficulty, I was able to get an ac- 

 count of the affair. 



