C H A P . VII.
Friendly Reception til Tongat aboo.— Thinner op d iflribut-
ing a baked Hog and K a va to Poulaho s Attendants
‘The Obfervatory, & c . ereStsd.— The T illag e where the
Chiefs rejide, and the adjoining Country, defcribed.—
Interviews with Mareewagee, andToobou, and the K in g s
Son.— A g rand H q jv a , or Entertainment o f Songs
and Dances, given by Mareewagee.— Exhibition o f F ireworks.—
Manner o f W reflling and Boxing D ijlrib u -
tion o f the Cattle,— Thefts committed by the N atives._
Poulaho, and the other Chiefs, confined on that Account.
— Poulaho s Prefent, and H a iva .
jane' O ° °N after wc had anchored, having firft dined, I
^ landed, accompanied by Omai, Tucfday 10. gcerfi We found the king waiting fora nuds ufopmone tohfe tbheea cOhf.-
He, immediately, conduced us to a fmall neat houfe, fitu- ated a little within the ikirts of the woods, with a fine large
area before it. This houfe, he told me, was at my fervice,
ndoutr iwnigi ho ufor rf.tay at the ifland; and a better fituation we Could
•cirWclee ohaf dt hneo tn bateievne sl ownegr ei na ftfheem hboleudfe ,b ebfeofroer eu sa, parnedtt yf elaartegde
upon the area. A root of the.kava plant being brought, and laid down before the king, he ordered it to be fplit into pieces,
and diftributed to feveral people of both fexes, who began
the
the operation of chewing it ¡ and a bowl of their favourite
liquor was foon prepared. In.the mean time, a baked hog,
and two baikets of baked yams, were produced, and afterward
divided into ten portions. Thefe portions were then given to certain people prefent; but how many were to ihare in each, I could not tell. One of them, I obferved,.
was bellowed upon the king’s brother; and one remained
undifpofed of, which, I judged, was for the king himfelf;
as it was a choice bit. The liquor was next ferved out; but Poulaho feemed to give no direétions about it. The firft cup was brought to him, which he ordered to be given to-
one who fat near him. The fecond was alfo brought to- him, and this, he kept. -The third was given to me; but
their manner of brewing having quenched my thi'rft, it became
Omai’s property. The reft of the liquor was diftributed
to different people, by direction of the man who had;
the management of it. One of the cups being carried to
the king’s brother, he retired with this, and with his mefs-
of vichi ais. • Some others alfo quitted the circle with their
portions; and the reafon was, they could neither eat nor drink in the royal pretence; but there were others prefent,.
of a much inferior rank, of both fexes, who did both. Soon after, moft of them withdrew, carrying with, them what they had not eat of their ihare of the feaft.
I obferved, that not a fourth part of the company had#
tailed either the vi&uals or the drink ; thofe who partook of
the former, I fuppofed to be of- the king’s houfehold. The férvants, who diftributed the baked meat, and the kava, always
delivered it out of their hand fitting, not only to the- king, but to every other perfon. It is worthy of remark,, though this was the firft time of our landing, and a great
many people were prefent who had never feen us before,.
8 yet