Volume 1

An account of the natives of the Tonga islands, in the south Pacific ocean. With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language / Compiled and arranged from the extensive communications of Mr. William Mariner, several years resident in those islands. By John Martin.

  • William Mariner
Date:
[etc., etc.] 1827
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the natives of the Tonga islands, in the south Pacific ocean. With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language / Compiled and arranged from the extensive communications of Mr. William Mariner, several years resident in those islands. By John Martin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    inents and assailed the besiegers with showers of arrows. The king now ordered the great guns to open a fire upon the fort, but they seemed to do little or no injury to the works, owing to the height of the place and the strength of the embankment. Several, however, were killed who ventured out- side of it. The firing had lasted, with occasional intermissions, for six or seven hours, when a considerable number of the enemy were per- ceived coming out of the fencing, and sheltering themselves behind the banks, with the evident in- tention of sallying forth. Upon this the king or- dered all his men to sit down, and to remain per- fectly quiet and steady, although the enemy should advance quite close to them, till they received his further orders to rise up and rush upon them. They accordingly sat down. A party of fifteen or sixteen now came down from the fort, and seven or eight of the Hapai people ran forward to skir- mish with them. One of the advanced party of the enemy came up to within fifteen or sixteen yards of the carronade, of which Mr Mariner had the charge, and there stood, brandishing his spear in a threatening attitude. Mr Mariner immediate- ly fired the gun at him, but the moment the match was applied the man fell flat on his face, and the shot missed him. The moment after he sprung up again, and advanced forward to within ten paces of the gun, dancing and making sundry warlike gesti- culations. lie then brandished and threw his spear, intending it to enter the gun, but it struck against the muzzle. Mr Mariner, astonished at the bold- ness and presumption of this warrior, was deter- mined to punish him for his rashness, and accord- ingly levelled his musket; but, just as he was pul-