340 cook's voyage to june, 



CHAP. VII. 



FRIENDLY RFXEPTION AT TONGATABOO. MANNER OF DIS- 

 TRIBUTING A BAKED HOG AND KAVA TO POULAHO'S ATTEND- 

 ANTS. THE OBSERVATORY, &C. ERECTED. THE VILLAGE 



WHERE THE CHIEFS RESIDE, AND THE ADJOINING COUNTRY, 



DESCRIBED. INTERVIEWS WITH MAREEWAGEE AND TOOBOU, 



AND THE KING'S SON. A GRAND HAIVA, OR ENTERTAINMENT 



OF SONGS AND DANCES, GIVEN BY MAREEWAGEE. EXHI- 

 BITION OF FIREWORKS. MANNER OF WRESTLING AND 



BOXING. DISTRIBUTION OF THE CATTLE. THEFTS 



COMMITTED BY THE NATIVES. POULAHO, AND THE OTHER 

 CHIEFS, CONFINED ON THAT ACCOUNT. POULAHO'S PRE- 

 SENT, AND HAIVA. 



ijoon after we had anchored, having first dined, I 

 landed, accompanied by Omai, and some of the 

 officers. We found the king waiting for us upon 

 the beach. He immediately conducted us to a 

 small neat house, situated a little within the skirts of 

 the woods, with a fine large area before it. This 

 house, he told me, was at my service, during our 

 stay at the island ; and a better situation we could 

 not wish for. 



We had not been long in the house, before a pretty 

 large circle of the natives were assembled before us, 

 and seated upon the area. A root of the kava plant 

 being brought, and laid down before the king, he 

 ordered it to be split into pieces, and distributed to 

 several people of both sexes, who began the oper- 

 ation of chewing it ; and a bowl of their favourite 

 liquor was soon prepared. In the mean time, a baked 

 hog, and two baskets of baked yams, were produced, 

 and afterward divided into ten portions. These por- 

 tions were then given to certain people present; 

 but how many were to share in each, I could not tell. 

 One of them, I observed, was bestowed upon the 



