188 A MISSION TO VITI. 
lation whales’ teeth have suffered considerable deprecia- 
tion, though they have not as yet entirely been reduced 
to their proper value. In the interior of the great 
island they maintain their old importance, and Kuru- 
duadua, on seeing us handling some money, expressed 
his astonishment that we should prefer coins to whale’s 
teeth. We told him not many years would elapse be- 
fore he changed that opinion, but he thought that time 
would probably never come. 
During my stay, one of the days was rainy, prevent- 
ing me from making an excursion. On expressing my re- 
gret to that effect, a man was brought to me who may 
be called the “clerk of the weather.” He professed to 
exercise a direct meteorological influence, and said that 
by burning certain leaves and offering prayers only 
known to himself, he could make the sun shine or rain 
come down, and that he was willing to exercise his in- 
fluence on my behalf if paid handsomely. I told him 
that I had no objection to give him a butcher’s knife if 
he could let me have fine weather until my return to 
the coast, but if he failed to do so he must give me 
something. He was perfectly willing to risk the chance 
of getting the knife, but would not hear of a present to 
me in case of failure ; however, he left to catch eels for 
me. When returning, the clouds had dispersed and 
the sun was shining brilliantly, and he did not fail to 
inform me that “he had been and done it.” I must 
further do him the justice to say that I did not experi- 
ence any bad weather until I fairly reached the coast, 
and that no sooner had I set my foot in Navua than 
rain came down in regular torrents. -This man has 
