FEEJEE GROUP. 381 



tions towards them. The reason assigned for this, and which was 

 altogether untrue, was, that the three mountaineers who had been 

 employed at the observatory had never been paid, and that the white 

 men of Levuka were the cause of it. About the same time, Seru and 

 his cousin Wai-nue quarrelled at Ambau, which the latter left, and 

 went to Somu-somu, where he was kindly received. This event 

 caused the war that had been so long in expectation to break out 

 between Ambau and Somu-somu. 



Seru came to Levuka, and wanted the white men to engage in the 

 war on his side ; but they refused, preferring to remain at home to 

 protect their property, as the natives of Levuka were to accompany 

 him. This greatly affronted him. He then went against Somu-somu, 

 but came back in a few days, having failed in his expedition. 



In November, the mountaineers ran away with nine of the women 

 of Levuka. On application being made to Ambau, Seru sent to de- 

 mand that they should be returned, but the mountaineers refused to 

 give them up. It was afterwards understood that Seru had privately 

 told his messenger to tell the mountaineers not to give the women 

 up, — an act of duplicity which the whites accounted for by their 

 refusal to join him against Somu-somu. 



In December, the Currency Lass again visited Levuka, when 

 Houghton, the owner, bought of Seru the island of Wakaia. 



In January, Seru sent a party to Naloa, to create a disturbance 

 among the people of Muthuata. This party secretly informed the 

 old king, Tui Muthuata, that the chief Gingi was conspiring to kill 

 him, and offered him assistance, which he gladly accepted. In the 

 night they landed at Muthuata, and, with the king's party, killed 

 Gingi and about ninety of his followers. When this massacre was 

 finished, the Ambau people returned home, and there found that the 

 king of Rewa and his brother had quarrelled, and that the brother 

 had fled to Ambau for protection. 



In February, the Ambau people fitted out another expedition 

 against Muthuata, now much weakened by the late massacre. The 

 king being absent, they burnt his town, killing and taking prisoners 

 many of his people. They also burnt the town of Soulabe, and 

 returned to Ambau. During their absence, Wai-nue, the chief who 

 had fled to Somu-somu, had bought over the fishing-people on the 

 Verata shore, who attacked Ambau and killed five of its people, and 

 took their bodies to Somu-somu. This caused the war to break out 

 anew between these two districts. 



vol. in. 96 



