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CHAPTER III.

AFTER the ship was run aground, the following two or three days were employed in striking the masts, and conveying on shore two of the carronades and eight barrels of gunpowder, being all that remained fit for use. Many of the natives, in the mean while, were busily engaged in stripping the iron from the upper works, and knocking the hoops off the casks in the hold-iron being a most valuable commodity to them; and during these operations the ground tier of oil burst out, and suffocated eight of the natives. Three other men were at the same time severely wounded, by some butts bursting out on them while they were in the act of knocking off the hoops. In consequence of this great discharge of oil, the water in the hold was covered with it, to the depth of several feet. Two men, who had struggled out of it, strongly expressed their amazement afterwards, to Mr Mariner, at the difficulty they experienced in rising through the oil. They could swim in the water below easily enough; but as soon as they emerged from the water into the stratum of oil above, the less specific gravity of the latter rendered their ascent difficult. They comprehended the reason,

however, very well, as soon as he had learned the language sufficiently to explain it to them.

In the mean time, Finow, observing one of the natives busily employed cutting out the iron fid from the maintop gallant-mast, and as he was a low fellow, whom he did not choose should take such a liberty, he was resolved to put a stop to his work. Calling to a Sandwich islander, who was amusing himself on deck by firing off his musket, * he ordered him to bring that man down from aloft. Without the least hesitation, the Sandwicher levelled his piece, and instantly brought him down dead; upon which Finow laughed heartily, and seemed mightily pleased at the facility with which his order had been obeyed. The shot entered his body, and the fall broke both thighs and fractured his skull. Afterwards, when Mr Mariner understood the language, he asked the king how he could be so cruel as to kill the poor man for so trifling a fault. His majesty replied, that he was only a low, vulgar fellow (a cook); and that neither his life nor death was of any consequence to society. †

On Tuesday, the 9th of December, it being spring-tides, the ship floated, and was warped in to low water mark; and in the evening they set fire to her, in order to get more easily at the iron work. All the great guns on board were load

The Sandwich islanders are pretty well acquainted with the use of fire-arms. Their chief had, at that time, 2000 stand of muskets, procured at different times from American ships.

The lower orders are thought to have no souls, and a cook is considered the most vulgar profession among them; while a carpenter is esteemed the most respectable.

ed, and as they began to be heated by the general conflagration, they went off, one after another, producing a terrible panic among the natives. Mr Mariner was, at this time, asleep at a house near the shore; being soon, however, awakened by the noise of the guns, he saw several of the natives running into the house in a great fright. They, no doubt, thought every thing was going to wreck and ruin. Seeing their distress, he gave them to understand by signs that nothing was to be feared, and that they might go to sleep in safety. After the guns had ceased firing, he went down to the beach, and found the ship burnt to the water's edge. He walked to the house again, filled with melancholy reflections, and, retiring to his mat, sleep at length brought a temporary relief to his afflictions. As soon as it was daylight, the natives flocked to the beach, and, by the direction and assistance of Mr Mariner and some of the crew, got five of the carronades on shore, by tying a rope round them, and dragging them with the main strength of two or three hundred men. A few days afterwards, three more carronades were brought on shore in like manner, and also four long guns, but which, on account of their weight, were never afterwards used.

About a week now elapsed without any material circumstance occurring, during which time Mr Mariner for the most part kept within doors, by the advice of Finow, lest he should be injured by the wantonness or malice of the lower orders, who took every opportunity of insulting him. On the 16th of December, Finow, having a mind to go to the island of Wiha, for the recreation of shoot

ing rats,* invited Mr Mariner to accompany him. The inhabitants of this island made great rejoic ings on account of Finow's arrival. He remained there three or four days. One morning, during Finow's stay at this island, some of the natives brought Mr Mariner's watch, which they had procured from his chest, and, with looks of curiosity, inquired what it was. He took it from them, wound it up, put it to the ear of one of them, and returned it. Every hand was now out-stretched with eagerness to take hold of it;-it was applied in turns to their ears;-they were astonished at the noise it made ;—they listened again to it, turned it on every side, and exclaimed, "Mo-ooi! " (It is alive!) They then pinched and hit it, as if expecting it would squeak out. They looked at each other with wonder, laughed aloud, and snapped their fingers. One brought a sharp stone for Mr Mariner to force it open with. He opened it in the proper way, and showed them the work. Several endeavoured to seize hold of it at once, but one ran off with it, and all the rest after him. About an hour afterwards, they returned with the watch completely broken to pieces; and, giving him the fragments, made signs to him to make it do as it did before. Upon his making them understand that they had killed it, and that it was impossible to bring it to life again, the man, who considered it as his property, exclaiming mow-mow (spoiled!), and, making a hissing noise, expressive of disappointment, accused the rest of using vio lence, and they in return accused him and each

• Rats are frequently used as an article of diet by the lower orders. The chiefs shoot them merely for amuse meut.

other. While they were in high dispute, another native approached, who had seen and learned the use of a watch on board a French ship. Understanding the cause of their dispute, he called them all cow valè (a pack of fools), and explained, in the following manner, the use of the watch :-Making a circle in the sand, with sundry marks about its circumference, and turning a stick about the centre of the circle, to represent an index, he informed them that the use of the watch was to tell where the sun was: That when the sun was in the east, the watch would point to such a mark, and when the sun was highest it would point here, and when in the west it would point there; and this, he said, the watch would do, although it was in a house, and could not see the sun; adding that, in the night-time, it would tell what portion of a day's length it would be before the sun would rise again. It would be difficult to convey an adequate idea of their astonishment. One said it was an animal, another said it was a plant; but when he told them it was manufactured, they all exclaimed, Fonnooa boto! What an ingenious people! All this Mr Mariner collected partly by their gestures, and afterwards more fully when he understood their language, and conversed with this man, who always prided himself upon his knowledge of the use of a watch, calling himself Papalangi (an European).

About the 20th of December, Mr Mariner returned to Lefooga along with Finow. His life was still not only uncomfortable, but often exposed to many dangers, or, at best, he suffered many insults from the wantonness and malevolence of the lower orders. Tooi Tooi he discovered was by

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