The chief persisted in his desire to leave us, saying he was still afraid I would kill him; and as I had no object in taking him with me against his will, I consented to his departure, presenting him with some seeds, the culture of which I caused to be explained to him, as also the value of the fruit. Our return on board was welcomed by every body. We had now accomplished the object of our visit, and the islands were altogether so void of interest, except for their novel formation, and the singular habits of the natives, that we were well content to leave them and return to some other place more congenial to the feelings of civilized men. Before we left, however, we wished to see the chiefs, and after representing the impropriety of their conduct toward the white men who had sought an asylum upon their islands, point out the course they must in future pursue towards such as might again visit them. On the morning of December the first, none of the chiefs or people residing upon the islet abreast of us having returned, the mother of the high chief was directed to send for her son to come back, and bring with him the rest of the chiefs, without delay. I made a visit to the chief's village, where I found but few inhabitants, most of whom were women and children. It was situated on the side of the island opposite to us, and bordering upon the inland sea. It was not extensive, but a beautiful and romantic spot; the grove of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, through which were scattered the huts of the natives, ran about a hundred yards back from the inland sea to a wild thicket that passes through the centre of the islet, in length two or three hundred yards. Here I found the largest canoe that I had yet seen. It was large enough to carry fifty men, but being old, leaked so badly, that the high chief was compelled to leave it behind, in his flight, with all the rest.
Near the high chief's hut, we came to consecrated ground. It was the place of burial for the royal dead. It was but a small space, comprehended within the circumference of a few yards, and at the head of each grave stood a cocoa-nut tree, bound round with dry leaves,—a mark that prohibited the use of the fruit. We were accompanied by a son of the high chief, a child about twelve years old, who desired us not to tread on the graves of his ancestors. Two graves were pointed out, as those of chiefs, who had been highly distinguished, beside which stood the aged trunks of cocoa-nut trees, that indicated the period of their demise to have been very distant. At one of the huts we saw a domestic fowl, which, when I expressed a wish to purchase, the chief's son, whose name was Ladro, immediately presented me. We afterwards saw a number of others running wild in the thickets. They were small, and looked like what is called the bantam. The natives never eat them, giving, as the reason for it, that they are not cleanly in their food. On our return, Lay took me to a place, where, after the massacre, he had buried a Spanish dollar. It was still there, and he took it with him as a memento of his captivity. We passed several springs of water, to which the women are banished at a certain period.
We met with a native, whom Lay knew, and who, assuming the native dress, went through the violent motions and gestures of a Mulgrave man, engaged in battle. It was an indescribable mixture of the frightful and ludicrous. I was apprehensive that it would offend the native: but he laughed with us at the representation, and said, it was very good. On the following morning, December the second, we were disappointed in not seeing the chiefs. The captain went again to the high chief's mother, who made some excuse for their not appearing, and declared, that they would positively be up that night by moonlight. He told her to send to them again, and say, if they were not there on the morrow, he would go after them, and the consequence might be serious. The old woman seemed very much alarmed at hearing such language, and promised a faithful compliance on the part of her son. It had the desired effect, as on the following morning, December the third, the chiefs all presented themselves on the shore, near our anchorage. The captain, taking Lay and Huzzy with him, went on shore to meet them. They told him, by way of opening the interview, that they were in his power, and ready to obey all his commands. He required of them to restore a whale boat that belonged to the Globe, a swivel, they had taken from the white men, and Lay's musket, to all of which they cheerfully assented. He then gave them, as a proof of his friendship, some cotton handkerchiefs, axes, and a variety of other articles, of much more value to them than those he had taken. He told them, that white men would never come there to hurt them, and that they must always be kind and friendly to them, whenever ships should hereafter visit their island. That, if other white men should ever be similarly situated to those they had killed, they must take care of them, and at some future time they would be rewarded for it. They promised faithfully to do all that they were told, and regretted having killed our countrymen. We gave them a pair of pigs, male and female, which we told them to take great care of, and increase the number as much as possible, forbidding them, on pain of our displeasure, to kill any until we should again return, which might be at no very distant period, although it was uncertain when. The surgeon's grave was made a sacred spot by the high chief, and every thing about it was to be held in the same reverence as the burial-place of his forefathers. The high chief was instructed, through the interpreters, in the manner of cultivating the fruits and vegetables, the seeds of which we had given him in great variety. Some we planted, and all was to be under his especial care. The use of the various kinds was explained to him, as well as their importance to ships, that might visit his islands, which would give him in return for them, axes, or whatever else was most valuable to him.
On the fourth of December, I obtained a boat, and set off on a visit to Lugoma, who, contrary to his promise, had not yet been on board. I took Huzzy with me, knowing that it would delight the chief to see him. We met with a variety of obstacles in our passage, through the inland sea, and did not arrive at the islet of the chief until the second day after our departure. We stood into his bay in the midst of a heavy shower, notwithstanding which, as soon as he saw us, himself and son ran down to the shore to meet us, and waded up to the middle in the water, extending their arms towards us, full of roasted fish, of which he had taken a large quantity on the preceding day. Both of them called to Huzzy, with repeated expressions of their happiness at seeing him, and, in a moment after we struck the shore, the whole tribe of old women welcomed us, with their joyful exclamations. As soon as we were out of the boat, each one in turn clung round Huzzy's neck, and embraced him in the kindest manner. In several different huts were large piles of fish, amounting to some thousands, which had been roasted to preserve them. Lugoma offered at once to accommodate us for the night, saying, he had an abundance of room in his huts for us to sleep, and plenty of fish for us to eat. The weather was squally and wet, which induced me to accept his offer. I wished, also, to witness the manner in which he caught fish in such quantities, and another opportunity might not offer before I left the islands.
As soon as the shower was over, which lasted for two or three hours, Lugoma went out, and employed himself busily collecting and breaking up dry wood, and arranging his ovens of stones, that all might be in readiness to cook the fish as soon they were taken out of the water. There was a considerable shoal extending out from the shore, opposite to his huts, upon which the fish, in their migrations along the islets came in great numbers. At the outer edge of this shoal he had sunk, a few feet below the surface of the water, a long line of cocoa-nut leaves, which were dry, and of a reddish colour. One end of the line of leaves was taken to the shore, and made fast, where there was a pen, built of stone. The line was then taken round upon the shoal semi-circularly, encompassing a considerable portion of it, and the space between the other end of the line and the shore left quite open. When a school of fish is seen, the natives intercept them, driving them through this open space, and, pressing forward, finally into the stone pen, from which they are taken with nets. After all the arrangements were made, Lugoma and another native, waded out beyond the line of leaves, to watch the schools of fish, but, unfortunately, he allowed them all to escape; and, as well as ourselves, seemed to be a good deal disappointed with his bad success. What appeared to be most remarkable about this method of catching fish, is that, after they are inclosed, they will not pass under the cocoa-nut leaves, although there is a depth of several feet water between them and the bottom. Lugoma took me to the place where he had planted the water-melon seeds, I gave him at the time of our parting. He had cleared and mellowed the ground with care, preparatory to planting the seeds, which were already up, and looked thrifty. I bestowed upon him a great deal of praise, and planted a variety of other seeds, of fruit and vegetables, of which he promised to have an abundant supply for me, when I should again return. When night came, and the hour of repose was at hand, I was perplexed with the difficulty of providing for our security against surprise or treachery, without giving Lugoma reason to suppose that we did not confide in his friendship, which I knew he would infer, from any particular watchfulness on our part. I did not believe that we had reason to apprehend danger from Lugoma or any one else, but as we were exposed to it, and had the means of security, I was determined not to run any risk. Three of the men were sent to sleep in the boat, anchored off a short distance from the shore, and which Lugoma was told no one must approach. The rest were directed to bring their arms on shore, and keep a lookout through the night, in rotation. When the arrangement was made, and we had all lain down, except the man that was standing sentry, Lugoma saw him, and asked, if there was not room enough for him to lay down. We answered evasively several times, with a view to satisfy the uneasiness he expressed, lest he should be thought wanting in any respect in hospitality; but were at last obliged to tell him, that the man was keeping watch, to see that no one came to hurt us. His mortification was evident, as he remarked, in reply, that no one would come to his island to hurt us. We expressed our full confidence in his friendship, giving him the further information, that it was our custom always to have some one on the look-out. Lugoma arranged mats upon the floors of his huts for us all, and invited me to lay down on one side of him, having his wife and daughter on the other side. It blew and rained hard all night, but the morning was clear and pleasant. We set off on a visit to an islet a few miles beyond that of Lugoma. He offered to go with us, and dive for a large shell-fish, found there; but as we could not take him, without incommoding ourselves, we declined his company. The islet was so uninteresting, as hardly to repay us for the trouble of going to it. It was covered with a thick growth of hard red wood, common to most of the low islands, and wild bup. We soon took our departure from it, and returned to Lugoma's islet, at an early hour of the day.
For the first time, at the Mulgraves', I observed, in one of Lugoma's huts, a drum, resembling those of Nooaheeva, but of small dimensions. I supposed it was an instrument of music, and in compliance with my request, Lugoma readily consented to play on it. Calling his daughter to him, he bade her thump upon it with her hands, whilst he sung, in time with the music, a few short lines, throwing himself in a variety of attitudes, alternately extending one arm, with great vigour, and drawing the other to his breast. Upon inquiring what was the subject of his song, he told me, through Huzzy, that it was the massacre of the white men,—a rudeness, I did not expect,—even from the untutored Lugoma. I declined any further display of his musical powers. When we were preparing to return on board, Lugoma came to me several times, saying, that I might just as well cut his throat, as to lake Huzzy away from him. "I have no one," said he, with a distressed look, "that is equally capable of assisting me, to work my canoe, and now, he is going away with his musket, my enemies can come and kill me." Finding, at last, that he could not prevail upon us to leave Huzzy, he said, we must bring him back very soon. That, if we were long absent, we should not find him living. He said, that we must bring him clothes, like ours; guns and axes; and that we should share the government of his islet with him, promising to have an abundant supply for us, of all the fruits and vegetables we had planted.
When he and the old women had taken an affectionate leave of Huzzy, he requested me to take two or three females in my boat, with their baskets of fish, which were intended as a present to the high chief, and land them upon the islet where he lived. We consented to do so, and, after landing them, arrived on board late in the afternoon, the schooner having run down to the Globe's anchorage, where she was now lying.
On the following morning Lugoma made his appearance on the beach, with his little son, having landed with his canoe upon the opposite side of the narrow islet. A boat was sent to bring them off. The chief stared wildly round, astonished, and wondering at every thing he saw. He was very timid, and, notwithstanding our kind reception, appeared to feel extremely doubtful of his safety. His confidence was in a measure gained, however, when we gave him an axe, a piece of cotton handkerchiefs, and some other trifles; and he left us, reminding me of my promise to return. Not long after his departure we got underway, and ran back to the residence of the chiefs, where, at ten, A.M., we came to in our old anchorage.
The captain went on shore, and at two, P.M., December the eighth, returned on board with the high chief, and two others. They were shown every thing about the deck, but without awakening much apparent curiosity. We then beat to quarters, and let them see what a formidable appearance we made, arrayed for battle,—an appearance, truly ridiculous to one accustomed to the imposing effect of a fine ship of war, and calculated to excite our risibility, notwithstanding the seeming gravity we assumed for the occasion. The captain asked the high chief, if he did not wish to hear one of the cannon fired, to which he answered evasively, unwilling, I suppose, to acknowledge his fears, as he had been a great warrior in his time. The captain then told him, that he would have one of them fired, if he was not afraid, which brought the chief to a confession, that he dared not hear it. The chiefs brought a number of presents for the Tamon,[[10]] as they called the captain, consisting principally of mats.
When they became tired of remaining on board, and expressed a wish to be sent on shore, we gratified them, and got underway. The high chief's son, who had visited me a number of times before, and to whom I had made presents of trifling value, but important to him, came on board with his father, and expressed a wish to go with me. His father gave his consent, being perfectly willing that he should go; but as there was great probability an opportunity would never offer for him to return, I thought it would be cruel to take him from his native islands, where, in his father's inheritance, he would be so well provided for.