CHIEF BETE. 261 
tion intended for the whole community. This measure 
had the desired effect. Finding that the landholders 
were going on board, and act independently of him, Bete 
deemed it prudent to change his mind, and he soon after 
stepped on board. 
Long ere this the sun had set, but the moon made 
every object distinctly visible. Bete was accompanied 
by the Tonguese teacher of his town, and his principal 
spokesman, who, however, hardly uttered a word during 
the whole interview. Having shaken hands all round, 
the chief was asked to sit down on deck, and all of us 
did the same. A Fijian chief is generally a fine man 
physically, considerably taller than his subjects, and pos- 
sessing that commanding air which shows that he feels 
himself a chief. Bete, though more than the middle 
height, had nothing imposing in his bearing, and his 
face portrayed weakness and irresolution of character. 
Though backed by the whole influence of Maafu, he 
never acquired any ascendency over the people he was 
set to govern; they openly disobeyed his orders; and 
foreigners found it useless to enter into any arrangement 
with him about the revival of the béche-de-mer trade, as 
he had not power sufficient to compel the necessary 
number of people to procure a shipload full of that 
valuable article. When younger, he had been guilty of 
murdering a white man of the name of Cunningham, 
who had a handsome wife from Rotuma, whom his 
father afterwards added to his harem. Nor had vessels 
going near his place been always safe: a few years ago 
the ‘ Paul Jones’ and another little schooner, the ‘ Gla- 
diator,’ with British subjects on board, were fired into, 
