but as the other chiefs were combining he feared an attack from them. Lockerby's men were busily engaged at this time in reinforcing their boat, telling Tui Bua that it would be useful for the defence of his fort.
In addition to seeing to his own fortifications, Tui Bua visited the surrounding chiefs who were subject to him, to ensure their support in the case of attack. Because of the danger of meeting a roving war party, he went with a fleet of 20 canoes with his men fully armed for war. Lockerby, painted black as were the warriors, accompanied him, carrying a musket and two pistols.
At the nearby town of Tacilevu they found a scene of great activity. All the available men were putting the town's defences in the strongest possible state. To demonstrate the power he controlled through his friends, Tui Bua had Lockerby discharge his musket and pistols at a nearby tree. The Fijians were more impressed and terrified by the noise than they were by the manner in which the bark flew from the trees. They asked for a repeat performance, but Lockerby, who did not intend to let them see how unprotected he would be during the long process of loading, made excuses for not firing again. After this demonstration of fire power and a discussion with the chiefs, the Tacilevu people renewed their pledge to help Tui Bua if he were attacked. Then the whole party returned to Bua, this time traveling by land.
A feeling of war was in the air and scouts were sent ahead of the main party for the whole of the trip back. Tui Bua's people had scarcely settled down to the work of strengthening the fort when a fleet of canoes was sighted. Defences were manned, but before long the lookout called out that the canoes were friendly. A messenger sent to the beach to meet them brought word that they contained warriors from the island of Koro who had come to help Tui Bua in the expected battle with the forces of the other three chiefs.
Lockerby would have liked to have gone down to the beach and joined in the welcome of these men, but Tui Bua restrained him, saying that no welcome would take place that day. It seemed to be an extraordinary way to treat potential allies. The men from Koro were left to spend the night in the vicinity of their canoes, and except for several old women who took them some cooked food, they had no contact with the Bua people. To Lockerby's questions, the Tui Bua replied that it was "the customs of the land," a phrase that visitors were to hear for many years to come as an explanation of the Fijians' actions.
The next morning, however, the castaways were soon aware that ceremonies of some importance were afoot. The warriors were dressing and oiling themselves with more than usual care, while the old men and women were busy preparing what appeared to be mountains of food. Lockerby was informed that he and his men should dress as they had done for the recent visit to the Tacilevu fort and should all appear before the Tui with their muskets. When they did so he was already surrounded by a great number of his own warriors who were arranging themselves in a rough semi-circle; the Tui, ceremoniously dressed in masi, or bark cloth, robes and headdress, was the centre of the circle.
After a great deal of preparation which appeared to follow some sort of protocol, in which Lockerby's men were placed in close proximity to the chief, a herald was sent to summon the Koro warriors. After a suitably timed delay a procession was observed making its way towards the cleared space of grassland, at one end of which the chief and men of Bua were waiting to receive them.
The castaways' first close view of the Koro men was truly impressive. The Bua men were preparing for war. But the Koro were ready to do battle that instant. All were tall and heavily muscled, and those armed with bows were in the lead and painted with oil and turmeric. They were closely followed by the men armed with spears, all painted red from the navel down, and a fearsome black above through which their teeth and eyes gleamed savagely. Bringing up the rear were the wielders of clubs, painted black with the exception of their heads and arms which were red. All had streamers of white masi attached to their heads and arms, and the spears were similarly decorated.
Tui Bua received them, standing in the half circle of his men, leaning on his spear. First, a huge feast of pigs and root vegetables, still steaming from the heat of earth ovens, was presented to the visitors with grave ceremony. The leader of the Koro warriors then advanced and made his obeisance before Tui Bua. There followed a discussion between them about the expected war, and although Lockerby could not follow all the discussion that was formally carried on in the language of ceremony, it was apparent to him that an agreement had been reached. As if to seal the agreement, a man whose huge girth the seamen had noticed, advanced and commenced to unwind a long length of pure white masi from around his body. This masi which had given the impression of a huge body was unwound slowly amid many expressions of approval from the Bua herald. It measured, the seamen judged, about fifty fathoms in length, and the presentation was equally impressive.
Now the Koro leader advanced and stood by Tui Bua. At his signal the bowmen came forward, one at a time each to be given a new bow and a bundle of arrows. Then those armed with spears advanced and were each given a spear and told that when these spears were returned after the battle, payment would be made. An issue of clubs was then made, and the visitors, without another word, picked up the food and retired to the houses that had been set aside for their use.
During all these warlike preparations, Lockerby had detached some of his men to work on the boat. By the time of the ceremony with the men from Koro, it was seaworthy and already partly-stored. Food stores were most difficult to obtain as the Bua folk had dug up all their ripe food crops and had destroyed their gardens preparatory to moving into the completed fort. Lookouts were always posted, slung from treetops in baskets, and all the men had to stand watches at this duty.
A few days later Lockerby was taking his turn at lookout, torn between his desire to help the chief-who had treated him so kindly—and the urge to sail, as he had promised his men he would do, as soon as the boat was ready. All coastal traffic by canoes was at a standstill, and any sail sighted would most assuredly be that of the enemy canoe fleet. When Lockerby first saw a white speck on the horizon, therefore, he almost gave the alarm, until something strange and yet oddly familiar caused him to pause. For the sail, such as it was, was not the triangular matting of a canoe sail, but was square and incredibly white. It was, in fact, the topsail of a brig that lifted rapidly into view. He joyfully passed the news to his men and left his post to inform the Tui and obtain his permission to board the brig.
She was the American brig Favourite out of Port Jackson, and the castaway was in time to pilot her to the best anchorage. The captain, William Campbell, offered Lockerby and his men passage, and Lockerby in turn offered to use his knowledge and friendship with the local chief to procure a cargo of sandalwood.
Soon afterwards, dressed again in seaman's garb, Lockerby set out for the village of Korovatu where he hoped to obtain the wood, accompanied by a passenger from the ship. En route they came across a roving war party, well armed. The foreigners caused quite a sensation when Lockerby, whom the warriors did not now recognize, spoke to them in their own language. He first asked to which chief they belonged. When they replied, "The chief of Korovatu," he asked to be taken to him. Meeting the chief, Lockerby and his companion presented him with the presents the captain had sent from the ship and asked for his aid in procuring the wood. The chief replied that he was "too busy" and then blurted out the surprising information that he and the nearby chief of Tacilevu intended to support the expected enemy forces in avenging themselves on the chief of Tavea Island, who was the nephew of Tui Bua.
Stunned by this news of treachery, Lockerby left the village immediately, although it was late afternoon and he could not hope to reach Bua before nightfall. He and his friend became lost and, taking the wrong track, blundered into the village of Tacilevu, a dangerous enough happening at any time but doubly so when the men were preparing for war. Fortunately they were able to identify themselves as "men from the ship" and conceal their knowledge of the treachery they had discovered. They regained the ship the next morning to find another, the General Wellesley, at anchor close by.
The men in the ships were still thinking only of their cargo. While the coming war was a nuisance in that it would affect the collection
