Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/480

 44:6 FIJI AXD THE FIJTANS. King, and begged that the act of his relative might not be hindered. Thakombau seemed irritated, and said, " Why do you not wait pa- tiently for a short time, as I requested you, that I may settle my wars and become Christian, when all will follow 1 But you will not wait, but go about here, and there, and everywhere, and talk, talk at a great rate ; and now actually one of our own family has become loiu. But he will not be followed." The King opposed the frequency of the Mis- sionaries' visits from house to house, yet said : " Great is our mutual love ; so your body must be allowed to go about, and your tongue to move." At the end of February, the hope of the faliilment of the King's promise was again deferred by war. On the 28th, he passed Viwa with a fleet of a hundred and twenty-nine canoes, to attack Verata, the head town of an adjoining district, between which and Mbau there had been for years a fierce struggle. While this expedition was setting up fences, hoping to starve the Veratans into submission, heavy rains fell, which compelled their return in a few days. On the Sunday the Chris- tians at Viwa were disturbed, during worship, by the passing of the fleet with shouts and beating of the death-drum over one man who had been killed. The next day Mr. Calvert went to Mbau, and saw the cannibal oven just covered in. Hard by sat an old Chief making a basket, as was supposed, for the cooked flesh. He was either sulky or ashamed, and would not hold his head up, and all the people looked flat and miserable after their late drenching. Very soon a Verata Chief came by night to Viwa, and besought Elijah Verani to intercede at Albau for his people. On the 8th of ^larch, he and Mr. Calvert Avent across for this purpose, and begged Thakombau to spare the lives of the Veratans. He said to the Mssionary : " I know you are here to make our land right ; but do not interfere in this case : let me destroy this troublesome people, and we shall have rest." To Elijah he said : " You are no help to me now. Be no hindrance. Had you joined me in fighting, and desired peace, I should have granted your request. The reward of your not helping is the refusal of your request." The plea, however, was still urged, and, at last, the Chief consented to spare the lives of the Verata people, on condition that they would all remove to Viwa, and let their town be burnt. This was agreed to, and the day of removal fixed. Elijah borrowed three large canoes of the Chief, and several small vessels of foreigners ; but when the time came, the peo- ple refused to leave. On the 26th of April, the Mbau army burnt Verata, and killed about nine persons, the rest escaping to the neigh- bouring town of Noloto. The King was elated by this achievement,