366 cook's voyage to june, 



people very busy in two places, in the front of our 

 area, fixing, in an upright and square position, thus, 

 [oo]> f ur very long posts, near two feet from each 

 other. The space between the posts was afterward 

 filled up with yams ; and as they went on filling it, 

 they fastened pieces of sticks across, from post to 

 post, at the distance of about every four feet, to pre- 

 vent the posts from separating by the weight of the 

 inclosed yams, and also to get up by. When the 

 yams had reached the top of the first posts, they 

 fastened others to them, and so continued till each 

 pile was the height of thirty feet or upward. On 

 the top of one they placed two baked hogs ; and on 

 the top of the other a living one ; and another they 

 tied by the legs half way up. It was matter of 

 curiosity to observe with what facility and dispatch 

 these two piles were raised. Had our seamen been 

 ordered to execute such a work, they would have 

 sworn that it could not be performed without car- 

 penters ; and the carpenters would have called to 

 their aid a dozen different sorts of tools, and have 

 expended, at least, a hundred weight of nails; and, 

 after all, it would have employed them as many days 

 as it did these people hours. But seamen, like most 

 other amphibious animals, are always the most help- 

 less on land. After they had completed these two 

 piles, they made several other heaps of yams and 

 bread-fruit on each side of the area ; to which were 

 added a turtle and a large quantity of excellent fish. 

 All this, with a piece of cloth, a mat, and some red 

 feathers, was the king's present to me ; and he seemed 

 to pique himself on exceeding, as he really did, 

 Feenou's liberality, which I experienced at Hapaee, 

 About one o'clock they began the mai, or dances ; 

 the first of which was almost a copy of the first that 

 was exhibited at Mareewagee's entertainment. The 

 second was conducted by Captain Furneaux's 

 Toobou, who, as we mentioned, had also danced 

 there ; and in this, four or five women were intro- 



