In the promiscuous firing that followed, several wounded men fell over the cliffs into the river. As a party retreated, routed, one man, thinking himself beyond the reach of fire, could not resist a little bravado, and coming to a dead halt, he proceeded, with all the dandyism of a feast-day, to arrange the long folds of white _tappa_ which floated in airy drapery, while he waved his great war-fan and challenged the foe, _Vaka viti_ (Fiji fashion), to come and be eaten, and he would roast them all. Dr Macgregor took a deliberate aim with his Snider rifle at 600 yards, and, greatly to his own amazement, hit the astonished man, who fled wounded in the left arm. A week later he was captured, and became great friends with the Doctor, who naturally took especial interest in healing the wounds of his own production. The Doctor’s work has greatly astonished the cannibals, who marvel to see a man tending and healing his foes. He has taught them a new name for his profession, declaring himself much aggrieved at being called “carpenter of death,” when he is truly a “man of life;” so the Fijian dictionary owes him a new word. He performed one very difficult operation quite alone, in presence of a wondering crowd. It was necessary to amputate the leg of one of the prisoners, so he made such preparations as were possible, and commenced operations, when, as he was in the act of administering chloroform (_wai ni mothe_, the water of sleep), he perceived that his assistant was quite drunk. It was necessary to have him at once forcibly removed, and the only other white man in the place was Mr Gordon, who was very ill with fever. So here he found himself alone with the patient under chloroform, surrounded by a great circle of wild auxiliary tribes, all well accustomed to cut up human limbs for the larder, but wholly unable to understand the present proceeding. It was a difficult position. The operation must be performed, or certain death was inevitable; so he proceeded with a most difficult task, which happily proved quite successful, and the amazement of the spectators knew no bounds. The grateful patient, on recovering, demanded that the Doctor, who had deprived him of a leg, should supply a new one, and insisted on his keeping him into the bargain![41] One very sad incident in the cave-warfare was the death of a poor little girl aged seven, who was accidentally shot through the heart.