CHAPTER V. 



S O M U - S O M U. 

 184 0. 



Immediately after despatching Paddy Connel on his errand to 

 Captain Hudson, Whippy came to me. He had heard, on board the 

 ship, some intimation of the purport of the message sent to Rewa by 

 Connel, and he advised me to be on my guard for the first movement 

 after Vendovi's capture. He thought that an endeavour would be 

 made by the people of Ambau to surprise the observatory, and to take 

 me prisoner, (for the purpose of ransoming Vendovi,) for they are 

 closely allied to those of Rewa. As our distance from Ambau was no 

 more than a few hours' travel, it would be easy for Tanoa, or his son 

 Seru, to fall upon us with a thousand men, before we could have 

 any notice whatever of their approach. After hearing all he had to 

 say upon the subject, I sent him for Tui Levuka, who came to my 

 tent. His amazement was great when he was told what was in pro- 

 gress, and he seemed to be almost beside himself for a few moments. 

 When he was sufficiently recovered, I told him that I put implicit 

 confidence in him ; that if he suffered me to be surprised by any force, 

 on him and his people would rest the responsibility, and that I looked 

 to him to give me the earliest notice of any attempt to attack me. This 

 he accordingly promised, and, at the same time, he told Whippy, the 

 most probable persons from whom any attack would come would be 

 the mountaineers, who were all now under the influence of Ambau, 

 and would be easily induced to attack us. A thousand of them, accord- 

 ing to his opinion, might be upon us in a few hours; but we had little 

 to fear before dawn of day, for that was the only time at which they 



vol. in. 38 



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