proceffion, in -which about two hundred and fifty perfons
walked..
Omai was defired by me, to aik the Chief, to what place
the yams were to be thus carried, with fo much folemnity ?
but, as he feemed unwilling to give us the information we
wanted, two or three of us followed the proceffion, contrary
to his inclination. We found, that,they flopped before a morai
or fiatooka * of one houfe ftanding upon a mount, which was
hardly a quarter of a mile from the place where they firft
affembled. Here we obferved them depofiting the yams,
and making them up into bundles ; but for what purpofe,
we could not learn. And, as our prefence feemed to give
them uneafinefs, we left them, and returned to Poulaho, who
told us, we might amufe ourfelves by walking about, as nothing
would be done for fome time. The fear of lofing any
part of the ceremony, prevented our being long abfent. When
we returned to the king, he defired me to order the boat’s
crew not to ftir from the boat; for, as every thing would, very
foon, be taboo, if any of our people, or of tlieir'own, ffiould
be found walking about, they would be knocked down
with clubs ; nay matted, that is, killed. He alfo acquainted
us, that we could not be prefent at the ceremony; but that
we Ihoufd be conducted to a place, where we might fee
every thing that palled. Objections were made to our
drefs. We were told, that, to qualify us to be prefent, it
was neceffary that we fhould be naked as low as the breaft,
with our hats off, and our hair untied. Omai offered to
conform to thefe requifites, and began to ftrip; other objections
were then ftarted ; fo that the exclufion was given to
him equally with ourfelves.
* This is the fiatooka mentioned above by Mr. Anderfon, p. 321.
't I did
I did not much like this reftridtion; and, therefore, ftole 1777-
out, to fee what might now be going forward. I found -— ■— ->
very few people ftirring, except thofe dreffed to attend the
ceremony ; fome of whom had in their hands fmall poles,
about four feet long, and to the under-part of thefe were
fattened two or three other flicks, not bigger than one’s
finger, and about fix inches in length. Thefe men were
going toward the morai juft mentioned. I took the fame
road, and was, feveral times, flopped by them, all crying
out taboo. However, I went forward, without much regarding
them, till I came in fight of the morai, and of the people
who were fitting before it. I was now urged, very ftrongly,
to go back ; and, not knowing what might be the confe-
quence of a refufal, I complied. I had obferved, that the
people, who carried the poles, paffed this morai, or what I
may, as well, call temple ; and gueffing, from this circum-
flance, that fornething was tranfafting beyond it, which
might be worth looking at, I had thoughts of advancing,
by making a round, for this purpofe; but I was fo clofely
watched by three men, that I could not1 put my defign in
execution. In order to fhake thefe fellows off, I returned
to the nmlo.ee, where I had left the king, and, from, thence,
made an elopement a fecond time ; but I inftantly met with
the fame three men ; fo that it feemed, as if they had been
ordered to watch my motions. I paid no regard to what
■they faid or did, till I came within fight of the king’s prin-^
cipal fiatooka or morai, which I have already defcrioed*, befoie
which a great number of men were fitting, being the fame
perfons whom 1 had juft before feen pafs by the other morai,
from which this was but a little diftant. Obferving, that I
could watch the proceedings of this company from the
* Sec p. 313.
X x a king’s