ea 
te 
SOROMATO. 153 
that he could swim, and that his clothes would not 
spoil, as he wore none. It not being prudent to give 
in to the natives, I had no option but to carry out my 
threat, choosing the very moment our flotilla was under 
weigh. He thought it a good piece of fun, and declared 
he would be with me nevertheless. He was as good as 
his word. When we landed at Nagadi he was there al- 
ready, having come by the mountain road. I had now no 
alternative. He proved to me most useful and attentive, 
and never left me until I finally embarked, when he 
cried bitterly on being told that it was quite out of the 
question he could go to Europe with me, where he would 
probably have to exchange a life of ease and plenty for 
one of toil and poverty, and not be treated as a chief 
but as a common man. 
The tribes of which Kuruduadua was the head, had 
for some time been molested by their neighbours, and we 
found at Nagadi a party of soldiers just returned from 
an unsuccessful ambush. They had endeavoured to kid- 
nap some of their enemies, and were rather disappointed 
at having to report ill success. I recognized several of 
them as having been at Navua during our first visit to 
that place, and they gave us some account of Kurudua- 
dua’s son, whom Mr. Pritchard and I invested with his 
toga virilis. He was in the depths of the mountains, and 
a message had been sent to him that he might come to 
pay his respects to us. 
Before retiring to rest we had family prayers in En- 
glish, Mr. Waterhouse officiating. Kuruduadua com- 
manded silence, and it was very impressive, amongst a 
profound stillness, to hear a Christian minister offering 
