Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition : during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 . ne from its top, commanding all thesurrounding headlands, islands, and reefs; the ascent to it is on the 272 TYE AND SUALIB. northern side, over a fine fertile plain upwards of a mile in extent,on which were the remains of a village or town, and of extensiveplantations of bananas. These are now in total ruin, having beenentirely destroyed by Gingi in his late expedition. The inhabitants,who had the air of a conquered people, treated us with great civility,but all the provisions they could furn
Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition : during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 . ne from its top, commanding all thesurrounding headlands, islands, and reefs; the ascent to it is on the 272 TYE AND SUALIB. northern side, over a fine fertile plain upwards of a mile in extent,on which were the remains of a village or town, and of extensiveplantations of bananas. These are now in total ruin, having beenentirely destroyed by Gingi in his late expedition. The inhabitants,who had the air of a conquered people, treated us with great civility,but all the provisions they could furnish were a few cocoa-nuts, everything else having been destroyed. They were found subsisting uponthe yaka, a kind of root which grows wild on the hills, and is quitepalatable when roasted. Mr. Agate took a most capital likeness of the wife of the chief ofthis village. She was about forty years of age; her head and side-locks were nearly of a scarlet colour; her necklace was composed ofa whales tooth, shells, and a few beads; the corners of her mouthwere tattooed in circles of a blue-black She was sitting modestly after the fashion of her country, and hada peculiar cunning look, through eyelids nearly close. Altogethershe furnished the most characteristic specimen of the appearance ofthis people, of any I had seen. From the top of Tau-tha-ke, the beautiful little bay of Ya-sau-y-lauappeared to lie at our feet, with the picturesque rock on its easternside, having much resemblance to a ruined castle or impregnablefortress. This rock is entirely volcanic, with but little vegetation onit. Tradition states it to have been the abode of an immense bird,called Ya-sau-y-lau, which it is said was in the habit of frequentingVitilevu, where it would pounce upon the first individual it met, andcarry him off to its eyrie for food. The natives of Vitilevu held it TYE AND SUALIB. 273 in great dread for a long time, but desperation drove them to seek hisabode on this rock, where they we
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade184, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
