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