Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . other places. It looked old and time-worn,and there was a gravity about it, and a general dark sombre-ness of colour, which I had not seen elsewhere. Such treesas existed had deep green foliage, the rocks were darkgrey, and so were the stones which formed the steps and ter-races, and the platforms of the houses. The monotony wasrelieved, and a beautiful note of colour gained, by fine peacocksstrutting about, and perching on the old trees and among theruins. I do not know how long they had been there, or wherethey came from, but they were a
Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . other places. It looked old and time-worn,and there was a gravity about it, and a general dark sombre-ness of colour, which I had not seen elsewhere. Such treesas existed had deep green foliage, the rocks were darkgrey, and so were the stones which formed the steps and ter-races, and the platforms of the houses. The monotony wasrelieved, and a beautiful note of colour gained, by fine peacocksstrutting about, and perching on the old trees and among theruins. I do not know how long they had been there, or wherethey came from, but they were a very great ornament, andseemed to know exactly where it would be effective to placethemselves. Andi Thakombaus nibure was raised up on arather liigh terrace, the stones of which were grasped by thecurious roots of a pandanus tree. We found her and hermother and her grandmother sitting on the floor, and theyreceived us with graceful politeness, and we sat do-\\ii besidethem. The little son, Ratu Tui Vanua Vou, a beautiful child 120 Islands Far RATU TUI VANUA VOU. of three, was marching about in a most lordly manner, andtreating his elders with the greatest contempt. He wore nothing but a little white sulu whichwould come off, but which, to his annoy-ance, was always immediately refixedby one of his relatives. When we had sufficiently admiredthe young chief, Andi Thakombau tookus to see the sights of the town. Shewas very frank about the past. Canni-balism in Mbau was given up in 1854,and that seemed a very long time agoto her, though to us, with our centuriesof history, it seems but yesterday. Shethought of it as belonging to the darkages, with as little to do with her asthe persecutions of Bloody Mary, or the burning of witcheshave to do with us. And it certainly was impossible toimagine the sweet creature at our side indulging in, or evenbeing present at, any savage rite. Yet her grandmother re-membered it all. She told us she had seen the war canoescoming in with bodi
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