tale was recounted like a fabled myth. Yesterday had passed out of existence, but the events remained—in the form of a great story.
One aspect of this impressed Casca. Each speaker took elaborate care to detail Casca's own role in the victory, to extol his bravery and good thinking, and to hold up to the audience the lesson that he had taught them in taking the enemy by surprise in his rear when the battle otherwise might not have even been joined.
Each story ended in gales of laughter as the speaker came to his conclusion that never again, not under any circumstances, would the people of Lakuvi dare to attack the village of Navola.
It was Sandy who found a way to turn the discussion in the direction Casca sought. "Could Cakabau's raiders attack Navola without the assistance of Lakuvi?" he asked.
"Never," laughed Sonolo. "From Bau to Navola would take many many days by the fastest sail canoe, and even the biggest of Bau's sail canoes could not carry enough men to attack the village."
There was considerable discussion about the difficulties in Cakabau's way for an attack on the village without the assistance of the Lakuvi. Even Kini, veteran of the Bau attack on Vanua Levu and a very experienced seaman, considered it impossible.
"But surely," said Casca, "Cakabau would carry the day if he only brought six men with the muskets?"
"From inside our palisades we can laugh at his muskets," said Sonolo. "And once they are fired they are only puny clubs, are they not?"
"Yes," confirmed Kini, "if he wasted the use of his weapons on the walls we could then attack and the six men would be easy to defeat."
"These weapons only work once?" demanded Semele. "Once in a long time," Kini answered, "then they must be cleaned and prepared for use again."
Single shot muzzle loaders, thought Casca.
Semele's mind was running in another direction. "How came Cakabau to your island of Vanua Levu?" he asked Kini.
"The trader, Savage, brought many of the men of Bau and their war canoes on his great sail canoe, a ship such as the Rangaroa , on which I came. Outside the reef Savage put the Bau canoes into the water and they came into the lagoon and attacked us on the beach, and then again at the village."
In previous kava discussions some in the tribe had grasped that with modern weapons, more than one man was often killed in battle. Now, Semele asked, "How many of your men did these fire weapons kill?"
"Three at first, on the beach, and we yielded. Then, at the village, when he demanded our men and we fought again, another four. And another who would have been better dead."
"Why kill so many?"
"It is the nature of the fire sticks," Kini answered unhappily. "And the men of Bau have gone mad for eating men. They cannot get enough. They eat men like we eat fish."
Semele looked disgusted, but pressed on with his questions. "Did they then eat all six men?"
"Yes, they did," Kini blurted out, still hurting at the memory. "They ate them in front of the village, before all of us." He groaned. "And then they used our women, there, on the ground before the village."
Semele waited a moment for Kini to recover himself. "So they took your women too?"
"Took them and fed them on their own men, and then used them. Used them disgracefully, and the women, after feasting on the men, permitted it and enjoyed it. And then they sent them back to us."
There was a long silence throughout the room. Finally Ateca spoke. "And did any of your women bear children to these men?"
"Oh, yes," Kini replied cheerfully. "We now have many Ba u babies in the village. Many, many more than were killed."
There were nods and smiles all around the house at this happy news.
Semele returned to the heart of the matter. "So it is not good to fight him on the beach, and it is not good to fight him outside the walls. But we could not hide forever inside the walls, for the enemy outside would have food and water and we would not." He looked at Kini. "If he comes in Savage's great
One aspect of this impressed Casca. Each speaker took elaborate care to detail Casca's own role in the victory, to extol his bravery and good thinking, and to hold up to the audience the lesson that he had taught them in taking the enemy by surprise in his rear when the battle otherwise might not have even been joined.
Each story ended in gales of laughter as the speaker came to his conclusion that never again, not under any circumstances, would the people of Lakuvi dare to attack the village of Navola.
It was Sandy who found a way to turn the discussion in the direction Casca sought. "Could Cakabau's raiders attack Navola without the assistance of Lakuvi?" he asked.
"Never," laughed Sonolo. "From Bau to Navola would take many many days by the fastest sail canoe, and even the biggest of Bau's sail canoes could not carry enough men to attack the village."
There was considerable discussion about the difficulties in Cakabau's way for an attack on the village without the assistance of the Lakuvi. Even Kini, veteran of the Bau attack on Vanua Levu and a very experienced seaman, considered it impossible.
"But surely," said Casca, "Cakabau would carry the day if he only brought six men with the muskets?"
"From inside our palisades we can laugh at his muskets," said Sonolo. "And once they are fired they are only puny clubs, are they not?"
"Yes," confirmed Kini, "if he wasted the use of his weapons on the walls we could then attack and the six men would be easy to defeat."
"These weapons only work once?" demanded Semele. "Once in a long time," Kini answered, "then they must be cleaned and prepared for use again."
Single shot muzzle loaders, thought Casca.
Semele's mind was running in another direction. "How came Cakabau to your island of Vanua Levu?" he asked Kini.
"The trader, Savage, brought many of the men of Bau and their war canoes on his great sail canoe, a ship such as the Rangaroa , on which I came. Outside the reef Savage put the Bau canoes into the water and they came into the lagoon and attacked us on the beach, and then again at the village."
In previous kava discussions some in the tribe had grasped that with modern weapons, more than one man was often killed in battle. Now, Semele asked, "How many of your men did these fire weapons kill?"
"Three at first, on the beach, and we yielded. Then, at the village, when he demanded our men and we fought again, another four. And another who would have been better dead."
"Why kill so many?"
"It is the nature of the fire sticks," Kini answered unhappily. "And the men of Bau have gone mad for eating men. They cannot get enough. They eat men like we eat fish."
Semele looked disgusted, but pressed on with his questions. "Did they then eat all six men?"
"Yes, they did," Kini blurted out, still hurting at the memory. "They ate them in front of the village, before all of us." He groaned. "And then they used our women, there, on the ground before the village."
Semele waited a moment for Kini to recover himself. "So they took your women too?"
"Took them and fed them on their own men, and then used them. Used them disgracefully, and the women, after feasting on the men, permitted it and enjoyed it. And then they sent them back to us."
There was a long silence throughout the room. Finally Ateca spoke. "And did any of your women bear children to these men?"
"Oh, yes," Kini replied cheerfully. "We now have many Ba u babies in the village. Many, many more than were killed."
There were nods and smiles all around the house at this happy news.
Semele returned to the heart of the matter. "So it is not good to fight him on the beach, and it is not good to fight him outside the walls. But we could not hide forever inside the walls, for the enemy outside would have food and water and we would not." He looked at Kini. "If he comes in Savage's great
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