In a few years hence the old Fijian double canoe (consisting of two canoes placed side by side, and connected by a bridge) will be seen no more; but we were lucky in having an opportunity of seeing one good specimen at Bau. It was hauled up on a slip beneath a large thatched shed, and although by no means one of the largest of its kind, yet it greatly exceeded my expectations. The depth of hold was about five feet, so that standing on the bottom of either canoe, my neck was just on a level with the edge of the hatch, and the total length of each canoe was 72 feet; but what most surprised me was the enormous size of the mast, which lay alongside the vessel. It was about the size of the Alert's spanker boom. This canoe was intended to carry 250 men, and I have no doubt it would hold that number.
Single outrigger canoes are still largely used. We saw several in course of construction on the small recessed slips which indented the sea-wall of the island.
The genuine old native implements and weapons are now getting very scarce, the demand for these articles in Europe having created a trade which has almost exhausted the supplies of the country. I inquired for stone adzes, and, after some difficulty, obtained one, for which I paid a shilling; but on subsequently groping for myself amongst the ruins of the burnt huts, I succeeded in finding several perfect and imperfect specimens.
In the evening we witnessed the ceremony of angona drinking in the king's state residence, where our friend the Ratu Joe presided on this occasion instead of his father. The performance began with a long monotonous chant, which was maintained alternately by an elderly man, who seemed to hold the office of master of the ceremonies, and by a body of elderly men, amounting to forty or fifty, who squatted close together on the floor. In the meantime some boys were engaged in a gloomy corner of the hut in chewing the angona root, and in spitting the pulpy masticated mouthfuls of fibre into the large wooden bowl which was destined to contain the liquor. Suddenly the chant ended with a simultaneous and abrupt clapping of hands on the part of the singers; and now the angona bowl was brought forward into the clear space in the centre of the room, water was poured over the chewed pulp, and finally the liquor was rudely strained by sponging it up with a handful of hibiscus fibre, and filling the drinking cup with the squeezed contents. Great respect was throughout shown to Joe, the presiding chief; and on his emptying the bowl of angona, which was handed to him solemnly by the cupbearer, all the natives exclaimed in a loud voice, "Amadtha" (meaning, "It is emptied"). Subsequently similar draughts were politely handed to each of us guests by the official cupbearer, but notwithstanding the historic interest attaching to this famous South Sea beverage, and the impression made on us by the great concourse of native dignitaries gathered together in solemn awe, few of us were inclined to imitate the chief's example and do justice to the flowing bowl.
However, we tasted it, and thought it rather nasty, giving one the idea of a mixture of pepper and soapsuds.
The Fijians spoke very favourably of British rule, and it would seem that the Governor (Sir Arthur Gordon) had very wisely and successfully adopted the policy of retaining, so far as was practicable, the old native laws, only modifying them as much as was necessary for the establishment of a reasonable degree of civilization. Thus the old feudal power of the chiefs has been retained, and in many instances those among them who were well-behaved, and displayed a suitable amount of administrative ability, have been invested with magisterial power over the districts to which they belong.
We slept for the night in Joe's hut, stretching ourselves out on the mats which covered the floor, and excepting a little trouble from mosquitoes, were comfortable enough. Our return journey to Levuka on the following evening was accomplished without any incident worthy of note.
Some days later, I took part in a walking excursion across the island of Ovalau, accompanied by Mr. Parr, an English gentleman residing in the colony and the owner of a large plantation in the Rewa River district of Viti Levu, and under the guidance of two natives, who carried our small parcels of baggage. Starting from Levuka on the morning of the 30th of September, we proceeded up the Totoonga Valley, which stretches inland from the back of the settlement, and after about two hours' hard walking, discovered that our guides had lost their way, and had brought us up to the summit of a thickly-wooded conical hill. Here, however, we were compensated for our disappointment by finding several graves of the Kaicolos, an old hill-inhabiting tribe of Fijians, who for a long time held out against the aggressive policy of Cacobau, and struggled vainly to maintain their independence.
We had now to descend from this hill to the main valley below, from whence our guides made a fresh departure, by means of which we were enabled, after a stiffish climb up the face of a rather steep hillside, to attain a ridge 1,700 feet high, which separates the watersheds of the east and west sides of the island. After a brief stay here, we descended the other side by a steep and almost obliterated track for about three hours more, when we reached Livoni, the site of an old Kaicolo stronghold. Here, amid the ruins of the town, we found a farmhouse of recent construction, the property of a Mr. McCorkill, who had obtained a three years' lease of the land, and was about to try his hand at stock-farming. He had two hundred head of cattle, for which he obtained a ready sale at Levuka, but the difficulties of transit were considerable, and he did not seem hopeful as to the success of his enterprise. He was, moreover, apprehensive that his house, which was built close to the bank of a mountain torrent, was on a rather insecure site, and that the next heavy flood in the rainy season would sweep away all his household belongings.
He pointed out close to his own house the characteristic raised foundations of an old native temple (Bure Kalou), and told us that his workmen, in clearing the ground for his garden and paddock, frequently turned up human skulls and other bones. He also very kindly promised to send me some Kaicolo crania on the first opportunity; a promise which he amply redeemed some weeks later by presenting me with two excellent specimens.