376 cook's voyage to june, 



time the chief and his circle sat, as was usually the 

 case, with a great deal of gravity, hardly speaking a 

 word to each other. 



We had long waited in expectation each moment 

 of seeing the mourning ceremony begin ; when, 

 soon after the kava was drank out, to our great sur- 

 prise and disappointment they all rose up and dis- 

 persed ; and Poulaho told us he was now ready to 

 attend us to the ships. If this was a mourning cere- 

 mony, it was a strange one. Perhaps it was the 

 second, third, or fourth mourning ; or, which was 

 not very uncommon, Omai might have misunder- 

 stood what Poulaho said to him. For, excepting the 

 change of dress, and the putting the green bough 

 round their necks, nothing seemed to have passed at 

 this meeting but what we saw them practise too 

 frequently every day. 



" # We had seen the drinking of kava sometimes 

 at the other island, but by no means so frequently 

 as here, where it seems to be the only forenoon em- 

 ployment of the principal people. The kava is a 

 species of pepper which they cultivate for this pur- 

 pose, and esteem it a valuable article, taking great 

 care to defend the young plants from any injury ; 

 and it is commonly planted about their houses. It 

 seldom grows to more than a man's height ; though 

 I have seen some plants almost double that. It 

 branches considerably, with large heart-shaped leaves 

 and jointed stalks. The root is the only part that is 

 used at the Friendly Islands, which being dug up, 

 is given to the servants that attend, who, breaking it 

 in pieces, scrape the dirt off with a shell or bit of 

 stick, and then each begins and chews his portion, 

 which he spits into a piece of plantain leaf. The 

 person who is to prepare the liquor, collects all these 

 mouthfuls, and puts them into a large wooden dish or 



* The following account of kava, to the end of this paragraph, 

 is inserted from Mr. Anderson's journal. 



