3IBAU ANV VITI-LEW. 155 



benefit of more frequent changes at the oars. The night 

 being dark and rainy, we for some time could steer only by 

 the hghts of the ' Cura9oa,' and when we lost sight of these 

 Ave had recourse to the spirit compass, which was so thiclv 

 tliat we found it necessary to take out the screws, and clean 

 the glass. We grounded for an instant on a reef, and were 

 apprehensive that we should be obliged to remain in this 

 very awkward position till the flood tide. We pushed back 

 and got off the reef, and then took a large circuit round, 

 after running aground several times. We at length reached 

 a bay, which is the Wai-ni-ki or Kaba mouth of the Wai- 

 Levu, or Great Eiver of Viti-Levu. We then entered the 

 Wai-ni-ki, both sides of which were covered with man- 

 groves, and were rather flat. We met about 4 a.m. a boat 

 with six oars, and a number of people in it. They were 

 under the bank of the river, and we did not see them at 

 first. But they hailed us, and said they were ten white 

 men going down to see the Commodore, for the purpose of 

 presenting a petition to him, referring to the object of the 

 expedition. Creelman, who had been beaten by the natives, 

 was on board together with his witnesses. After a short 

 parley they were desired to proceed on their course, and 

 not return with us as they proposed. On our way we saw 

 some ducks a little after daybreak, and, as they happened to 

 be on Meade's side of the boat, he got all the shooting. 

 These ducks appear to be the same as the common brown 

 duck which is found in Australia. I shot a hawk, which 

 fell in the cotton plantation of a white man, who had a 



