of sandalwood, it was, they felt, none of their business. This also seemed to be Lockerby's view. Instead of warning his old friend and protector of the danger, he set off in charge of the two ships' boats to attempt to secure a cargo farther along the coast.
The boats proceeded as far as the Bay of Wailea, but they found conditions there similar to those at Bua. The people had retired into their forts from which they would not emerge even to accept presents. That alone should have been sufficient warning to the men in the boats of the imminence of the danger. Blindly oblivious to all but their trading instincts, however, they wasted much time trying to parley and persuade the Waileans to trade.
As they returned to the boats and started to leave the bay, they soon had cause to regret both their actions. They had ignored the obvious impending arrival of the enemy fleet, revealed by the actions of the Fjians. They had also failed to warn Tui Bua of the suspected treachery of his allies. Now, drawn up across the mouth of the bay, completely sealing it, were the canoes of a huge fleet—the combined forces of Macuata, Cakau-drove and Vuya.
Even their firearms were of little use now. With their swivels and muskets they could kill a few of the enemy, but before they could begin to reload the swift sailing canoes would be alongside and spears and clubs would soon decide the issue. Lockerby ordered the other boat to follow his lead and steered straight for one of the canoes in the hope of parleying or breaking through the ring of craft. Unfortunately, the canoe he picked was full of fierce warriors from the island of Bau, rovers who had joined the fight for the plunder they could obtain. Before any parley could begin the sandalwood traders were roughly handled and pulled into the canoe.
The other boat was similarly taken by a canoe full of men from Vuya. All the men were stripped of their clothes and arms, and the canoe crews would have quickly clubbed them had not Buli Dama, commanding the combined fleet and knowing the value of hostages, ordered that they be kept alive. For the two sandalwood ships still lay at anchor in Bua Bay, and any attack on Tui Bua would be abortive if their guns were to be used in his defence.
However, Bua was not the immediate objective. The canoes were on their way to attack the Tui's nephew at Tavea. The prisoners were to be unwilling witnesses to that bloody battle. The swift sailing canoe in which Lockerby lay bound outs ailed the others of the fleet and arrived off Tavea, where it was immediately attacked by five small canoes. These canoes, each with a crew of ten, bravely attacked the huge, less manoeuvrable double canoe, and came close to taking it, but the remainder of the fleet coming up astern drove them off.
The first day's fighting, after the excitement of the canoe action, was neither spectacular nor sustained. The defenders made a few sallies from the stockade surrounding their small island. Their small canoes were soon beaten off and retreated along the coast out of the fight. Several men were killed on both sides, and one prisoner was taken by the Bau canoe during this indecisive skirmish. At night the attacking fleet left the island and sailed to the mainland where fires were lit and arrow spear points were extracted from wounds, using seashells in the manner of tweezers. No help was given to the prisoner in the Bau canoe who had many wounds, but shortly after landing Lockerby saw him almost casually clubbed and his body sent to the ovens that had been dug.
The same mode of occasional fighting continued the next morning, and the pattern of the first day was repeated for the ensuing three days. On the fourth morning, a canoe of the attacking party sailed over to Tavea, almost as if by arrangement, and finding the defences deserted fired the thatch of a house. At this signal all the other canoes sailed to the island. The crews rushed ashore, firing the remaining buildings and carrying off all the livestock and the small amount of goods the buildings housed.
The island appeared to be deserted, but just as the invaders were preparing to leave the scene of desolation, a woman was discovered hiding in a nearby mangrove. A search discovered all the people who had been unable to swim to the mainland the night before, either through age, infirmity or the need to care for young children. There followed a scene of the most revolting savagery as those in hiding either ran or were dragged from cover. Many were clubbed immediately, while others were run down and dispatched by spears. Over three hundred fifty old men, women and children were butchered. The canoe in which Lockerby was held prisoner had forty-two bodies on board, on which sea water was continuously poured to neutralize the effects of the hot sun. As the canoes sailed back to the mainland coast in the evening the reddening sky silhouetted the bodies of children hanging from the mastheads. Of all those left behind on Tavea, only a boy, whose body was horribly mangled, survived the massacre.
After the cannibal feast that followed, the canoes sailed once more towards Bua Bay, satisfied that the power of Tavea had been broken. The warriors were dismayed to find the two ships still covering the entrance to the bay. Now the boarding nettings were triced up and the guns were manned. At last the imminence of danger had been recognized.
Once more the canoes headed for the mainland shore out of sight of the ships. Lockerby was looking for an opportunity for him and his men to make a dash for freedom, but none came. He passed up one chance of escaping on his own, but one of the other seamen ran off into the bush and made his way to Bua Bay. When the man reported to Captain Campbell, that worthy had just returned from bombarding the fort at Tacilevu with a twelve-pounder in retaliation for the supposed death of his men. He was assured that they were still alive but that the position was critical.
In the meantime Lockerby, still captive, had been offering any concessions to their captors in return for their release. He had even offered to assist them in their attack on Tui Bua in return for a cargo of sandalwood. His oratory had its effect, and he was just at the stage of discussing the form of release and the presents he would obtain from the ship when the news came of Campbell's attack on Tacilevu in which nine defenders had been killed.
It was then decided to send back to the ships all the men except Lockerby and another named Thomas Berry, who were to be held as hostages against the presents the warriors expected to receive. The canoe left with the remainder, but as they neared the ships, the Fijians stopped paddling and refused to go any closer. Confident that they could be covered by fire from the ships and desperate in case their captors should return ashore, the seamen took the canoe by force and made for the ship. Had it not been for the men held as hostages, it is certain that they would have exacted revenge for the treatment received and the long days of captivity, especially since some of the Fijians were still wearing the clothing that had been stripped off the captives. Once alongside, the seamen forcibly recovered all their gear, whereupon the Fijians in the canoe threatened that they would take revenge on the hostages. Captain Campbell decided therefore to seize two of their number who were of chiefly rank and ordered the remainder away from the ship's side. An ugly situation arose with the warriors' return to the shore. Instead of bringing the presents, they had returned empty-handed after losing two of their number. The returned men formed a close ring around the two captives, haranguing them fiercely, and one stepped forward with raised club. But Buli Dama knew that he could not force the fort if the ships helped in its defence. He agreed to ransom the two foreigners and sent them off in a large group of canoes in an attempt to secure the neutrality of the ships in the coming battle.
Tempers were now short, and each side was suspicious of the intentions of the other. Seeing the unusually large number of canoes approaching, Captain Campbell, fearing attack, ordered a warning shot to be fired over them, at which the canoes stopped and began to retire out of range. Surveying the scene through his glass Campbell saw the two figures of his men and realized he had been too hasty. He then dispatched a small boat manned by two Indian Lascar crew members containing presents for the Fijians. These men were permitted close to the canoes as they were obviously harmless. Lockerby, rapidly questioning the Lascars in Hindustani, discovered to his dismay that the two Fijian hostages were already dead. They had attempted to escape and had almost got free when the captain, realizing the fate of his two men if they regained their liberty, opened fire and killed both of them.
Lockerby rapidly told the Lascars of their situation and sent back a message that the
