Venduvl. * LLJ h L (j "< >L * • Theatrical* on board. 223 



with the rest, and it was observed (hat his nerves* 

 were bo much affected fur some time afterward* 

 that he was unable to li^lil a cigar that was given 

 him, nnd could not apeak distinctly. Captain Hud- 

 min reminded them, that they had visited the whip 

 of their own accord, ajjd without any promise of 

 safeguard from him ; that Ins object wins to obtain 

 Vendovi, ami that all hopes of obtaining him with- 

 out this decisive measure bad failed ; that lie 

 meant them m> harm, but it was hi* intention to 

 detain them until Vendovi was brought off. The 

 canoes wore likewise secured, and orders given to 

 allow uoue to leave the ship. Tin- whole party 

 thus made prisoners consisted of seventy or eighty 

 natives. 



The king and chief*, when they liad recovered 

 themselves a little, ackiinwledged that our demand 

 was a just one ; tliat Vendovi deserved to bo 

 punished ; that he was a dangerous character 

 among themselves ; and that they would be glad 

 to see him removed. At the name time, they said 

 they thought lh- capture of Vendovi impossible, and 

 gav« many reasons for this opinion. Tlitty ex- 

 pressed giv at fears for the missionaries and their 

 families, when the people of Rewa should hear of 

 their detention. Captain Hudson had assured him- 

 self previously of the perfect safety of the mis- 

 sionaries ami llu-ir families, and well knew that 

 this was a ruse on the part of the king to induce 

 him tu change his purpose. 



They soon found him fully determined in his 

 purpose. It was shortly arranged thai, with his 

 permission, Ngaraningiuu and another chief should 

 go quietly to Rewa, take Vendovi by surprise, be- 

 fore he had time to escape, and hring him un board 

 alive if possible. In order to insure protection to 

 ihe missionaries and their establishments, they 

 were particularly told that the missionaries had 

 nothing to do wiih the business, and did not know 

 of it, as was evident from Mr. dagger having re- 

 turned to Rewa before they were detained, and 

 that every influence must he exerted to protect 

 them from harm, or the prisoners might expt-ct 

 the most exemplary punishment. 



The selection of Ngaraniugi«u a** the emissary to 

 capture the murderer was well-timed, as Vendovi 

 had always been his rival, and the temptation to 

 get rid of* so powerful an adversary was an oppor- 

 tunity not U> he lost by a Feejee man, although 

 that adversary was a brothel". He was soon under 

 way in his double canoe, which, with its enormous 

 sail spread to a strong breeze, was speeddy out of 

 sight, 



The king, at Captain Hudson's request, informed 

 his people that none must attempt to leave the 

 ship, or they would be fired at ; tliat they roust 

 remain on hoard until further orders; and that, in 

 the mean time, they would be supplied with food. 

 One attempt was made by a small canoe to leave 

 the ship, but on seeing the preparations for firing 

 at it, the par* ins in it quickly returned. 



After the departure id Ngarauingiou, the king, 

 queen, and chiefs became more reconciled to their 

 |Kisitiom They talked much about Vendovi and 

 the murder lie bad committed on the crew of the 

 t liarles Uoggett, and said tliat he had also killed 

 his eldest brother. 



The king, during the evening, spoke much of 

 his being a friend to the white men, asserted that 

 ho had always been so, and adduced, as an instance 



I of it, his conduct in the ease of The Currency Loss, 

 an English trading schooner, of Sydney," New 



! South Wales. Ik- said that this vessel, tn going 

 out of the harbour, had got on shore near the 

 anchorage; that his people had assemble! ronml 

 about her for plunder, but that he went on board 



! himself, and kept nil his subjects off that were not 

 required to assist. He told Captain Wilson and 

 the owner, Mr. Houghton, who was on board, that 

 if she got off he should expect a present, « Inch 

 they readily consented to give j but if she broke, 

 and got water in her hold, the vessel and property 

 must be bis. This, he said, they also agreed to. 

 His people, wishing her to go to pieces, made 

 several attempts to remove the anchors, but ho 

 stopped then i, and drove them away ; and the only 

 thing he did, with the hope of getting the vessel 

 himself, while he was assisting the captain to get 

 her off, was to semi up some of his chiefs to Kewo, 

 to givo a present to the am bat i. at the uibure, to 

 offer up prayers to the < J rest Spirit, that he would 

 cause her to get water in. Something went wrong 

 with the spirit, and tho vessel got clear. The 

 only thing the owner gave him was a whale's 



, tooth and a small looking-glass ! 



When the evening set in, the natives (kai-sis) 

 were all brought on board for the night, and plan d 

 forward on the gun-deck. Here they were supplied 

 with plenty of hard bread and molasses, which 

 they enjoyed exceedingly , and afterwards |ierfurmed 

 several dances. The performers arranged them- 

 selves in two ranks, and went th rough various 

 movements, with their Inwlies, heads, arms, and 

 feet, keeping time to a song in a high monotonous 

 key, in which the whole joined, the ranks oc- 



t casionally changing places, those in the rear 

 occupying the front, and the others retiring be- 

 hind. 



The inferior chiefs were provided with a sail 

 under the half-deck ; the king, queen, ami their 

 little daughter were accommodated by Captain 

 thu I son in his cabin. The king having expressed 

 a desire to have his evening draught of ava, sonic 

 of the piper mytltisticum, from which it is made, 

 was fortunately found among the botanical speci- 

 mens which had been collected, and a large and 

 well-polished dish-cover was converted into an 

 ava bowl. The ava was accordingly brewed, and 

 all the usual ceremonies gone through with, oven 

 to the king's having his own cup-bearer, Jimmy 

 Housman, who was one of the party. 



After the ava was over, theatricals were resorted 

 to for the amusement of their majesties. This was 

 a business in which many of the crew of the Pea- 

 cock were proficients, having been in the habit of 

 amusing themselves in ibis way, Jim Crow was 

 the first piece, and well personated, both in ap- 

 pearance and sting, by Oliver, the ship's tailor. 

 This representation did not fail to amuse the 

 audience exceedingly, and greatly astonished their 

 majesties. Jim Crow's appearance, on tile back of 

 a jackass, was truly comical: the ass was enacted 

 by two men in a kneeling posture, with their pos- 

 teriors in contact ; the body of the animal was 

 formed of clothing ; four iron bclaying-pins served 

 it for feet ; a ship's swab for its tail, and a pair of 

 old shoes for its ears, with a blanket as a covering. 

 The walking of the mimic quadruped about the 

 deck, with its comical-looking rider, and the audi- 

 ence, half civilized, half savage, gave the whole 



