Altogether 9,000 of the dollars were recovered, but it would have been unwise to stay and trade any more. The natives had made signs that some of the dollars had been taken by members of the crew, and some had been taken by the captain in the first longboat trip. It is doubtful, however, if all the dollars were taken, and their whereabouts has ever remained a mystery. No attempt was made to find the other members of the crew, said to be on nearby islands, indicating that the expedition was raised only to recover the dollars. The boats returned to the Jenny, and once more Lockerby was faced with the problem of obtaining a cargo of sandalwood.
The two colony ships were still anchored at Bua, dealing with the chief ashore. Lockerby found it necessary to take his boats further along the coast in order to trade. Even there he met boats from the other ships; competition for a cargo was clearly going to be keen. Also, the Scotsman obviously enjoyed punitive expeditions more than the dull business of obtaining a cargo., Hearing that a boat from the Botany Bay brig Elizabeth had been seized, he organized a party to recapture the boat from the Fijians ashore. He had heard the story of the capture and knew the boat's crew to be in the wrong. He justified his action by noting that he meant to effect the capture by peaceful means-if possible.
Lockerby could have had no love for the crew of the colony boat. He probably either expected to claim a salvage fee for the boat's return, or, as seems likely, he just could not stay out of a fight. Taking charge of a fleet of three boats, all armed with swivel guns and musket-carrying crews, he failed to contact Captain Dorr or to ask his permission for his actions.
He led his small flotilla to the island where the captors had taken the boat and her crew, there to arrange a parley with the chief under a flag of truce. This warrior refused absolutely to give up the boat or the bodies of the two Europeans among the crew. He did, however, agree to release two Tahitians, who had been in the boat when it was taken. These men were handed over, terribly wounded, no attempt having been made to care for them or to dress their wounds. The condition of the prisoners and the arrogant manner of the Fijians angered the men with Lockerby. Those were the reasons they gave for opening fire with the swivel guns as they withdrew, still flying the flag of truce.
The power of powder and shot had been demonstrated to the people of these islands. It was probably not the first time, at least for the men on the Sandalwood coast, but it was the first recorded occasion. Of all the records left behind by Lockerby, this is the most significant, emphasized by the casual manner in which he writes about the carnage.
Turning from war to trade, Lockerby gained the friendship and confidence of the Tui (King) of Bua, the area of the coast on which most sandalwood grew. Soon satisfactory arrangements for trade were made, and boatload after boatload of wood were sent off to the ship. Whenever possible, Lockerby accompanied one of the boats back to the ship so that he could enjoy a night's rest aboard and the doubtful luxury of the ship compared with life in the boats. He was therefore well aware that the ship was filling rapidly. He was amazed, however, to receive the news that the Jenny had left. A sudden squall had parted the cables, and Captain Dorr had been unable to work the Jenny back under her awkward jury rig.
Going ashore full of foreboding as to the treatment he might receive, he was greeted by the old chief of Bua more as a son than a castaway. The chief made him most welcome and gave him all the privileges of a chief. This later proved inconvenient when, as a chief, he was no longer able to feed himself and had to have his food and drink placed in his mouth by a servant. The use of the hands by a chief for such menial tasks as conveying food was tabu. The food was easily taken but the matter of drinking required much practice. He adopted the dress of the natives as his own clothes soon became filthy and ragged. At first he and his men suffered greatly from sunburn and the bites of mosquitoes and sand flies, but with daily applications of coconut oil and turmeric their skin became darkened and toughened so that they felt little discomfort. Lockerby was well cared for, as were all his men, who were treated not as chiefs but as the commoners with whom they lived.
2. Tui Macuata, a major Fiji chief, shown with a sailor.
Lockerby had no intention of staying in Fiji and becoming a beachcomber, regardless of whether or not he enjoyed the status of chief. He and his men decided to make their boat more seaworthy and try to sail to Australia.
At this time there were three more major chiefs in the area—Tui Cakau, Tui Macuata and Tui Vuya, who was also known as Buli Dama. They were becoming increasingly envious of Tui Bua and the wealth he was obtaining from the sandalwood ships. Together they sent messages and a fleet of canoes demanding further tribute, which the Tui Bua refused to give. Instead, he started to build a fort, explaining to Lockerby that he had never needed one before, but as the other chiefs were combining he feared an attack from them. Lockerby's men were busily engaged at this time in reinforcing their boat, telling Tui Bua that it would be useful for the defence of his fort.
In addition to seeing to his own fortifications, Tui Bua visited the surrounding chiefs who were subject to him, to ensure their support in the case of attack. Because of the danger of meeting a roving war party, he went with a fleet of 20 canoes with his men fully armed for war. Lockerby, painted black as were the warriors, accompanied him, carrying a musket and two pistols.
At the nearby town of Tacilevu they found a scene of great activity. All the available men were putting the town's defences in the strongest possible state. To demonstrate the power he controlled through his friends, Tui Bua had Lockerby discharge his musket and pistols at a nearby tree. The Fijians were more impressed and terrified by the noise than they were by the manner in which the bark flew from the trees. They asked for a repeat performance, but Lockerby, who did not intend to let them see how unprotected he would be during the long process of loading, made excuses for not firing again. After this demonstration of fire power and a discussion with the chiefs, the Tacilevu people renewed their pledge to help Tui Bua if he were attacked. Then the whole party returned to Bua, this time traveling by land.
A feeling of war was in the air and scouts were sent ahead of the main party for the whole of the trip back. Tui Bua's people had scarcely settled down to the work of strengthening the fort when a fleet of canoes was sighted. Defences were manned, but before long the lookout called out that the canoes were friendly. A messenger sent to the beach to meet them brought word that they contained warriors from the island of Koro who had come to help Tui Bua in the expected battle with the forces of the other three chiefs.
Lockerby would have liked to have gone down to the beach and joined in the welcome of these men, but Tui Bua restrained him, saying that no welcome would take place that day. It seemed to be an extraordinary way to treat potential allies. The men from Koro were left to spend the night in the vicinity of their canoes, and except for several old women who took them some cooked food, they had no contact with the Bua people. To Lockerby's questions, the Tui Bua replied that it was "the customs of the land," a phrase that visitors were to hear for many years to come as an explanation of the Fijians' actions.
The next morning, however, the castaways were soon aware that ceremonies of some importance were afoot. The warriors were dressing and oiling themselves with more than usual care, while the old men and women were busy preparing what appeared to be mountains of food. Lockerby was informed that he and his men should dress as they had done for the recent visit to the Tacilevu fort and should all appear before the Tui with their muskets. When they did so he was already surrounded by a great number of his own warriors who were arranging themselves in a rough semi-circle; the Tui, ceremoniously dressed in masi, or bark cloth, robes and headdress, was the centre of the circle.
After a great deal of preparation which appeared to follow some sort of protocol, in which Lockerby's men were placed in close proximity to the chief, a herald was sent to summon the Koro warriors. After a suitably timed delay a procession