134 REW A. 
which Seru replied, “Take care; if you miss, then I'll try.” The 
king threw again, but Seru, by a quick movement, avoided the missile. 
Madonovi then advanced to within two or three yards of Seru, 
saying, “ This time I think I shall hit you.” Seru made himself ready 
to avoid it, and with his hands behind him, said, “ If you miss, then I 
take my turn.” The king threw the third time and missed, for Seru 
stooped, and the shaddock passed over his shoulder. Seru then drew 
himself up, flourished his club in the air, and exclaimed in tones of 
exulting mockery, “ Aha, I think you did not see this!” With that he 
hurled his weapon with so deadly an aim that it crushed the skull of 
the king, and killed him on the spot. 
As soon as this event became known, the queen with her other sons 
fled to Ambau, leaving the supreme power in the hands of Seru, who, 
however, did not take the title of Ndraketi, but adopted that of Tui 
Sawau, after the chief town of Mbenga, on which he had made war 
and captured, and by which title he was thenceforth known. He was 
not, however, long left to enjoy his authority. The exiled family made 
several unsuccessful attempts to destroy him, and at last induced Ven- 
dovi, by a large bribe, to undertake his destruction. Vendovi managed 
to get to Rewa unobserved, and looking in at the door of Thokanauto’s 
house, saw Tui Sawau lying on his mat eating. He immediately 
levelled his musket and shot him. Four balls passed through his 
breast, but such was the strength of his constitution, that he survived 
for eight days. This occurred in the year 1827. 
When it became known at Ambau that this fratricide had been 
committed, the queen and her sons returned to Rewa, and Kania 
assumed the direction of the government, to the exclusion of Thoka- 
nauto. 
The character of Phillips, who calls himself the white man’s friend, 
is rather equivocal. He is said while young to have been fed mostly 
on human flesh. When I saw him on board my ship at Levuka, I 
told him I had heard that he liked this food, and I thought that he 
showed much shame at being considered a cannibal by us. His 
youthful practices, which he told as though some credit were due to 
himself for a change in his latter conduct, will tend to show how 
early these natives employ themselves in inflicting pain on each 
other. One of these was to set a sharp-pointed stick in the ground, 
cover it with earth, and then challenge another boy to jump with 
him. He would then leap in such a manner that the boy on follow- 
ing his example would alight upon the pointed stick, and run it 
through his foot. He is said also to be frequently employed by the 
king as an instrument of his vengeance. The missionaries relate that 
