130 REWA. 



which is passable for canoes at high water. The town of Natacallo 

 is here situated, and the first rise of hills takes place. This is one 

 of their great battle-grounds, and was, according to Phillips, the 

 scene of many of his deeds, which he recounted. 



About a mile above this there is a bar which extends nearly across 

 the river. The channel lies close to the hills, which are two hun- 

 dred feet in height. Below this bar the banks of the river are all 

 alluvial. There is here an elbow in the river, above which is the 

 town of Capavoo, of four hundred inhabitants, which was the scene 

 of one of the bloody attacks of the Ambau people under the notorious 

 Charley Savage. It is said that he was afterwards killed near Mbua or 

 Sandalwood Bay, and so great was the enmity of the natives towards 

 him, that he was not only eaten, but his bones were ground to powder 

 and drunk in their ava. Phillips mentioned that a daughter of this 

 notorious villain is now married to one of the king's brothers, at Rewa. 

 Stopping in the evening for the men's supper, they saw many fine 

 shaddock trees in full fruit along the banks, and Mr. Peale shot a 

 beautiful parrot, with very gay blue and red plumage; he also 

 obtained two ducks. Phillips says the low islands have been formed 

 in the river by the frequent floods from the mountains, " since he has 

 had whiskers'' 1 His age is supposed to be thirty-five years. 



The native houses hereabouts are constructed with a solid base- 

 ment surrounded with piles, to prevent their being washed away on 

 the occurrence of the floods. 



At night they stopped at the town of Coronganga, about eighteen 

 miles above the mouth of the river. Here they took possession of 

 the mbure, and with the assistance of Mr. Phillips's white steward, 

 they made themselves quite comfortable. The same deference and 

 respect were paid Phillips here as they had before observed; but, 

 notwithstanding this, Lieutenant Budd and party took every pre- 

 caution to prevent surprise, to convince the natives that their watch- 

 fulness was never asleep. 



The banks showed a rise and fall of the water during the night. 

 It was full tide about eleven o'clock at night ; according to Phillips, 

 the tide flowed some miles above this place. The current of the 

 river was found by the boats to be about a mile and a half the hour. 



Having passed a comfortable night, (more by reason of their 

 own fatigue than the comforts of the mbure,) notwithstanding the 

 musquitoes and bats, which were both very numerous, they left 

 the town of Coronganga at an early hour in the morning. The best 



