1/88.
D e c emb er .
in the front was a pole covered with a plaited cocoa-nut
branch, and before each of the men there was a number of
fmall pieces of the fame leaf plaited, which they call Ha~
byree, and each had likewife a piece round his wrift. One,
who appeared to be the chief prieft, prayed.aloud, and was
anfwered by all the reft together: after a few' fhort fen-
tetices and refponfes, they rofe, and each carried an Kahyree,
which they placed at the foot of the pole, and returned to
prayer: this'was repeated till all the hahyree were flelivdr-
e4,.and then the- ceremony ended. I maft not forget to
mention, that they had placed, near the pole, an offering of
plantains and bread-fruit, w hich they left for.thfe- Eatua.
They .Very kindly aiked us to partake of a.roafted hog, th at
had been prepared for them, whilft they were praying; but
as I wifhed to make .the moift of the morning, before the
fun was tob high, I declined their offer, and Moannah be-
Jpoke refrelhments to be ready for us when, we returned.
We continued our «walk up the valley,' which became
very narrow, and had advanced' a'confiderabl'e way"beyond
all th d houfes. and plantations, when'we 'were fuddenly
flopped by a cafcade, that fell into the H te r from a height
of above 200 feet: the fall at this tipne was' not great, but
in the heavy rains muft be confiderable. The natives-look
upon this aS the moft wonderful fight in the ifland.' The
fall of water is the leaf!: curious p a rt; the cliff, 'over Which
it comes, is perpendicular, forming an appearance as if fup-
ported by fquare pillars of done, and with a regularity that
is furprifing. Underneath is a.pool eight or nine'feet deeji,
ihto which the water falls; and in this place all the natives
make a point of bathing once in their lives, probably from
fome religious idea. 7
The hills here approach each other within a -few yards,
3 and
and are well covered^ with wpod. As the'road appeared
difficult, I did not care.*to proceed towards the mountain. I
.cannot with certainty?fay how far this curious precipice is
from the bay* but thijik, in the road by which we went, it
cannot be lefsrthan feVeii miles. .»It iSv-callediPeeah Roah.
In<onr»retura, we 'fbund a.'yoiipg pig prepared for us, and
we made a hearty meal. We dinfedin the hovtfe of an old ac-
.quaintanGe^f i$£elfQa&4 forwhom he had, in 1777, planted:
the two lhaddock plants, formerly mentioned, which he had
brought from the Friendly Jflands. .Thefe we had the fa-* I
tisfadtiou^tOjfee weregrown tasfine'treesj-and full of fruit.
-In thejr,plantations they do;.npt take much pains, except I
with the Ava and the .Cloth-plant,, both’ of which they are
careful, to .keep clear 6fweeds- .Jdany o f the plantations of
the cloth-plant • were fenced withJftone, and furrounded
'wi-th-feditfh.' "‘The ..yams: and . plantains are moftly on the
higher grounds. As foon as we had jinifhed our dinner,
we. returned towards the fhip. I was much delighted, in
this walk, with the number of children .that I faw in every'
part ofsthe country: they are^yery handfpme and fpright-
fy, and' full of antic tricks. iTh&y have many diverfions
.that are c0mtn9h.-Jwi.th the boys in. England'5 fuchas flying
kites,, cats .cradle, fwsnging, dancing or jumping in a rope,
walking .upoh ftilts, andwreftlipgi, ;J
Fridaythe 19th. The wind tp-day blew frefh, but conti- Friday 19.
nued regular from the E and E S,E. We hac^likewife much
rain, and a long fwell fet, into the bay. • I had not yet deters
mined, whether, on leaving Matavai bay, I would go?to, the
ifland .Eimeo, or to the harbour of Toahroah near’Oparre :
this uncertainty made Tinah, and» the reft of my friends,
very an^ipuf; 'and,; they appeared much diflre^Ted on my
defiring them, this afternoon, .to.fend ,on board afl the things
P a which