1?77* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 399 



to each other as they sat. In a little time two more 

 repeated this ceremony. 



The grand procession which I had seen march off 

 from the other morai, now began to come in. To 

 judge of the circuit they had made, from the time 

 they had been absent, it must have been pretty large. 

 As they entered the area, they marched up to the 

 right of the shed, and, having prostrated themselves 

 on the grass, deposited their pretended burthens (the 

 poles above mentioned), and faced round to the 

 prince. They then rose up and retired in the same 

 order, closing their hands, which they held before 

 them, with the most serious aspect, and seated them- 

 selves along the front of the area. During all the 

 time that this numerous band were coming in, and 

 depositing their poles, three men, who sat under the 

 shed with the prince, continued pronouncing separate 

 sentences in a melancholy tone. After this a pro- 

 found silence ensued for a little time, and then a 

 man, who satin the front of the area, began an oration 

 (or prayer), during which, at several different times, 

 he went and broke one of the poles which had been 

 brought in by those who had walked in procession. 

 When he had ended, the people sitting before the 

 shed separated, to make a lane, through which the 

 prince and his attendants passed, and the assembly 

 broke up. 



Some of our party, satisfied with what they had 

 already seen, now returned to the ships ; but I, and 

 two or three more of the officers, remained at Mooa, 

 to see the conclusion of the solemnity, which was not 

 to be till the next day ; being desirous of omitting 

 no opportunity which might afford any information 

 about the religious or the political institutions of this 

 people. The small sticks or poles which had been 

 brought into the area by those who walked in pro- 

 cession, being left lying on the ground after the 

 crowd had dispersed, I went and examined them. 

 I found, that, to the middle of each, two or three 



