and as the entertainments which he had then exhibited for
our amufement, called upon us to make fome exhibition in
our way, I ordered the party of marines to go through their-
exercife, on the fpot where his dances had been performed ;
and, in the evening, played off fome fireworks at the fame
place. Poulaho, with all the principal Chiefs, and a great
number of people, of all denominations, were prefent. The
platoon firing, which was executed tolerably well, feemed
to give them pleafure ; but they were loll, in ailoniihment
when they beheld our water rockets. They paid but little
attention,to the fife and drum, or French horns, that played
during the intervals. The king fat behind every body,
becaufe no one is allowed to fit behind him; and, that
his view might not be obftruffed, nobody fat immediately
before him ; but a lane, as it were, was made by the
people from him, quite down tp the fpace allotted for the
fireworks.
In expe&ation of this evening fhew, the circle of natives
about our tent being pretty large, they engaged, the greateft
part of the afternoon, in boxing and wreftling; the firft of
which exercifes they call fangatooa, and the fecond foohoo.
When any of them choofes to wreftle, he gets up from one
fide of the ring, and croffes the ground in a fort of mea-
fured pace, clapping fmartly on the elbow joint of one arm,
which is bent, and produees a hollow found; that is reckoned
the challenge. If no perfon comes out from the oppo-
fite fide to engage him, he returns, in the fame manner, and
fits down ; but fometimes Hands clapping, in the midft of
the ground, to provoke fome one to coipe out. If an
opponent appear, they come together with marks of the
greateft good-nature, generally tailing, and taking time to
adiuft the piece of cloth which is faitened round the wiift.
j i They
They then lay hold of each other by this girdle, with a 1777•
hand on each fide ; and he who fucceeds in drawing his c.—fee— *
antagonift to him, immediately tries to lift him upon his
breaft, and throw him upon his back ;• and if he be able to
turn round with him two or three times, in that pofition,
before he throws him, his dexterity never fails of procuring
plaudits from the fpectators. If they be more equally f
matched, they clofe foon, and endeavour to throw each
other by entwining their legs, or lifting each other from
the ground; in which ilruggles they fhew a prodigious exertion
of fixength, every mufcle, as it were, being ready to
burft with draining. When one Is thrown, he immediately
quits the field, but the vi&or fits down' for a few feconds,
then gets up, and goes to the fide he came from, who proclaim
the victory aloud, in a fentence delivered flowly, and
in a mufical cadence. After fitting a ihort fpace, he rifes
again and challenges; when fometimes feveral antagonifts
make their appearance; but he has the privilege of choo-
fing which of them he pleafes to wreftle with ; and has,
likewife, .the preference of challenging again, if he fhould
throw his adverfary, until he himfelf be vanquiihed; and
then the oppofite fide fing the fong of victory in favour of
their champion. It alfo often happens, that five or fix rife
from each fide, and challenge together ;, in which cafe, it is
common to fee three or four couple engaged on the field at
once. But it is aftoniftung to fee what temper they preferve
in this exercife ; for we obferved no inftances of their leaving
the fpot, with the leaft difpleafure in their countenances.
When they find, that they are fo equally matched
as not to be likely to throw each other, they leave off by
mutual confenr. And if the fall of one ,is not fair,.-or if it
does not appear very clearly who has bad the advantage,
both.