208 A MISSION TO VITI. 
As the houses were crowded, I was very glad to learn 
that the ‘Paul Jones,’ with Mr. Pritchard on board, 
had arrived from Nadroga, and was then anchored at 
the mouth of the river. Two of the crew soon after 
made their appearance in the dingy belonging to the 
schooner, and I availed myself of the chance to get on 
board. On paddling down the river we encountered 
several heavy showers; the clerk of the weather at 
Namosi had only guaranteed sunshine until I should 
have fairly reached the coast, and now I was again in 
the region of salt water, mangrove-trees, and sago 
swamps. We took shelter under a thick tree, and with 
my umbrella-parasol I kept myself tolerably dry. The 
people living on the high banks under which we had 
halted, soon espied us, and invited us to come into 
their houses. When we refused on account of its get- 
ting too late to reach the schooner, they brought some 
hot yams and taro, and one of the boys was sent up a 
cocoa-nut palm, slippery though the trunk was, to knock 
down some nuts for drinking. We gave them some 
sticks of tobacco, of which they were very glad, and all 
parted with mutual expressions of goodwill. 
I took leave of Batinisavu, the Namosi Governor, at 
Navua, and shall always remember his kindness. Ku- 
ruduadua came on board that night, and Danford ac- 
companied him. Though he had publicly declared in 
favour of the cession of Fiji to England, he had not as 
yet formally signed the deed of cession. As he is one 
of the most powerful chiefs, it was important to have 
his signature, and in the evening he affixed his mark to 
that document; Mr. Charles Wise having once more 
