MALOLO. 331 



what had been for a long time suspected, that the old king's power 

 was all but extinct; and Captain Hudson, under the circumstances, 

 did not feel justified in punishing them. 



The day before his departure, he paid the king and chiefs a visit, 

 gave them some advice relative to their future conduct, and mentioned 

 to them that he was going away. The king and chiefs, with great 

 naivete, replied, that they were extremely glad to hear it, for they 

 had been in constant dread of having their town burnt, in conse- 

 quence of the number of lies that were constantly told to him of 

 them. 



During the stay of the vessels at Muthuata, one of the mountaineers 

 who frequented the town, stole a comb from the king's house. On 

 search being made, the thief was discovered among the mangrove- 

 bushes, where he was captured and taken before the king, who 

 ordered his punishment after the following mode. They laid him 

 on a canoe-mast, about seven inches in diameter, one end resting on 

 a log a little above the ground ; his hands were tied, and his arms 

 stretched beyond his head on the mast ; they then took a rope, an inch 

 and a half in thickness, when, beginning at his ankles, they wound it 

 around his body and the mast, the turns being taken not far apart, 

 up to his shoulders, allowing his head only to move a little, and 

 thus exposed him all day to the sun ! He was, towards evening, 

 unbound and suffered to go, but he could not move, and was carried 

 by four men. It is supposed if the ships had not been there, 

 another and more deadly punishment would have been inflicted 

 upon him. 



I have now to speak of the examination the Porpoise made of the 

 great sea-reef and islands to the west of the Asaua Group. They left 

 the anchorage of Ya-asaua on the 21st of July, and shortly after dis- 

 covered a sail, which proved to be the ship Triton, an American 

 whaler, from which they obtained a few articles of provisions. Occa- 

 sional soundings were found all over the space to the east of the island 

 of Biva, the most western of the group, which I have already spoken 

 of as being in sight from the high peaks that were observed on. 



On the night of the 21st the brig struck several times with great 

 violence on a coral shoal, but got over in safety. The next day the}' 

 were near Biva, a long low island, with two smaller ones connected 

 with it, covered with cocoa-nut trees. Boats were sent out to examine 

 it. The island is surrounded by a reef, and affords no anchorage ; it 

 is inhabited by about fifty souls. Fifteen of them came around the 



