In the morning I commenced again with my duties, but had the greatest difficulty in bringing the chiefs together, those who had received the presents being the least willing to make their appearance. Others represented themselves as chiefs who were not so, and demanded similar presents in a brutal manner, going away grumbling on my refusing to comply with their demands. Neither threats nor remonstrances appeared to have any effect upon them. Although I was extremely annoyed at their proceedings, I could not help attributing it to downright stupidity, and I trust that I have not formed a wrong opinion. They seemed totally to disregard the goodness of the Government, and to forget that my visit was made to them at their own invitation. They requested, however, that I would install their chiefs in the name of the Government, which I complied with, at the same time letting them know that I should assuredly inform the Government of the unfriendly reception I had met with from them. At four o'clock in the afternoon, when high water occurred, we embarked on board the boats, without the chiefs seeming to care more about us, and left this inhospitable place. We now stood towards Watidal, the village off which the brig had anchored on our first arrival, where we took up our quarters under a boat-shed, and after having received a visit of welcome from the chiefs, made up for our want of rest the previous night by a quiet slumber. On the following morning we hauled the boats up to repair some leakages, and dried the articles which had been wetted by the rains we experienced at Kalioba. We afterwards visited the chiefs, and I have the satisfaction of saying, that we were received with the same kindness as before, but somewhat less than that we had experienced at Vordate, which may be attributed to their inferior state of civilization. My steward obtained some fowls, eggs, yams and cocoa-nuts, in exchange for knives, brass-wire, and pieces of cloth. From these we prepared a meal, of which two of the Orang Kayas partook. In the afternoon a large prahu arrived from Serra, bound to Larrat and Vordate on a trading voyage, on board which was one of the chiefs of the former island, who had come for the purpose of paying me a visit. He informed me that the other chiefs would also have come, but were withheld by having heard that the brig had departed from Larrat, they not knowing where she was gone to. The Orang Kaya proceeded with his vessel to Vordate, promising that he would soon return to Serra; and as it appeared to me advisable to pay a visit to that island, particularly as the people in the prahu expressed a strong desire that I should do so, I determined to commence my voyage thither immediately.