never seen a ship before--except, perchance, some of the petty traders
that at long intervals visit these remote islands--he was much taken up
with the neatness and beauty of all the fittings of the schooner. He
was particularly struck with a musket which was shown to him, and asked
where the white men got hatchets hard enough to cut the tree of which
the barrel was made! While he was thus engaged, his brother-chief stood
aloof, talking with the captain, and fondling a superb cock and a little
blue-headed paroquet--the favourites of which I have before spoken. I
observed that all the other natives walked in a crouching posture while
in the presence of Romata. Before our guests left us, the captain
ordered the brass gun to be uncovered and fired for their gratification;
and I have every reason to believe he did so for the purpose of showing
our superior power, in case the natives should harbour any evil designs
against us. Romata had never seen this gun before, as it had not been
uncovered on previous visits, and the astonishment with which he viewed
it was very amusing. Being desirous of knowing its power, he begged
that the captain would fire it; so a shot was put into it. The chiefs
were then directed to look at a rock about two miles out at sea, and the
gun was fired. In a second the top of the rock was seen to burst
asunder, and to fall in fragments into the sea.

Romata was so delighted with the success of this shot that he pointed to
a man who was walking on the shore, and begged the captain to fire at
him, evidently supposing that his permission was quite sufficient to
justify the captain in such an act. He was therefore surprised, and not
a little annoyed, when the captain refused to fire at the native and
ordered the gun to be housed.

Of all the things, however, that afforded matter of amusement to these
savages, that which pleased Romata's visitor most was the ship's pump.
He never tired of examining it and pumping up the water. Indeed, so
much was he taken up with this pump that he could not be prevailed on to
return on shore, but sent a canoe to fetch his favourite stool, on which
he seated himself, and spent the remainder of the day in pumping the
bilge-water out of the ship!

Next day the crew went ashore to cut sandal-wood, while the captain,
with one or two men, remained on board, in order to be ready, if need
be, with the brass gun, which was unhoused and conspicuously elevated,
with its