I stood still, and not feeling particularly
cheerful, I told them to go on, and go off to the vessel--that I should
wait and return to the village. Stamping my foot, as if in a towering
passion, I told the chief, "Go with all your people to the boat; as for
me, I shall return." It had the desired effect. The people fled, and
the few who remained listened to the old man, and came no further. We
got to the boat and away, glad to escape without any unpleasantness.
Entering Orangerie Bay, we anchored off the village of Daunai, from which
the whole district takes its name. When here, our Chinese cook lost his
knife, and, spotting the thief, determined to have it; but our captain
prevented him from jumping into one of the canoes, and so avoided
trouble. There were over one hundred canoes round the vessel, and
altogether over four hundred men.
We stopped all trading, and frightened the canoes away by blowing the
steam whistle--they were much afraid of it, and kept at a very respectful
distance.
We went up the long sheet of water we saw when we crossed Meikle Bay,
finding it in every way suited to its native name, Paroai, or piggish
water, and quite useless as a harbour for anything larger than an
ordinary boat.
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