Mara Refuses Offers of Peace.

Seeing that the only probability of averting the calamity of the Tongans coming into the conflict was to get Mara to sue for peace, I desired King George to send a messenger to him, which he was ready to do. Mara made some remarks about the death of the Chief, expressed himself ashamed to see King George, refused to come to him to settle his differences with Bau, which George had desired, undertaking to become mediator, and desired George not to meddle with Feejeean strife. It appeared to me not unlikely that a thousand lives would be sacrificed before the end of the conflict, should the Tongans once become fairly involved. I therefore desired George to try again, by sending a Tonga messenger to Mara. This he objected to, saying that when he sent a small canoe on a most peaceful errand, the purpose of which could not be mistaken, one of their number, a Chief, had been shot; and that, he had reason to believe, mainly through Mara, who was the main spring of the evil still raging in Feejee. It was evident that war would soon commence, unless Mara would submit; and knowing, as I did, the custom of the Tongans to fight for the parties they were visiting, when war was waging, page 10 even though no high Chief was at the head of the visiting party, I went to the Chief of the Bau fishermen, and desired him to try to persuade Mara to come to terms of peace, by representing that he would otherwise involve the Tongans, himself and others, indeed the principal parts of Feejee, in a most fearful and destructive war: that, if the Tongans once attacked Kambah, they would unquestionably take it, even at the sacrifice of a thousand persons, and by years of siege, if necessary; and that he knew King George to be a man of resolute purpose, who would carry through what he commenced, if his life was spared. This message and request was intrusted to a principal man among the fishermen. Mara absolutely refused to yield; and boasted strongly of the utter impossibility of Kambah being taken by Tongans. He asked if they were stones. He pointed at a Chief from each of two populous and renowned-for-fighting districts,—Buretu and Nakelo,—as the representatives of a great number of the best Feejeean fighting men which he had in the town. He said he also had twenty from each of several towns; that they had laid in great store of provisions; and he avowed that no Tongan should be able to stand on any ground about Kambah. "If," said he, "they build a fence on the adjoining island, there they will be able to remain; but to come to Kambah will be certain death." It became clear that the collision could not be prevented.