Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/286

220 death as a punishment for his late offence. This too was the general opinion of the people, and was the subject of their conversation for a long time afterwards, contributing to spread a con- siderable gloom throughout the garrison. Pa- lavali died about half an hour after he was brought home. Finow already began to grow tired of the war : it was a kind of conflict not suited to his genius, he loved rather a few hard fought en- gagements and a speedy conquest. The enemy shewed no disposition to come forth from their strong hold and attack him ; and he had found by experience, that even the guns produced no sensible effect upon their fortification, situated upon an eminence, and defended by walls of clay*. He heartily wished for a peace, but he did not choose that hjs wish should be known, lest it should be attributed to fear or any other unworthy motive j in short, he wanted to bring about a peace, without being thought to zvish for it ; and the difficulty was to accomplish this. the enemy 's fortress on fire ; but he -considered Toe Oonjoo's cause quite as just as that of Finovv, and although the latter was his friend and benefactor, yet he had more than half assisted in the assassination of a man of admirable character (TooboNuha) who was also Mr. Mariner's friend; besides, he did not choose to be the means of dealing out destructioi> ^on a number of innocent jvomen and childrep.
 * Mr. Mariner could easily have devised a method to set