406 cook's voyage to july, 



I now went and examined the several baskets 

 which had been presented ; a curiosity that I was 

 not allowed before to indulge ; because every thing 

 was then taboo. But the solemnity being now over, 

 they became simply what I found them to be, 

 empty baskets. So that, whatever they were sup- 

 posed to contain, was emblematically represented. 

 And so, indeed, was every other thing which had 

 been brought in procession, except the fish. 



We endeavoured in vain to find out the meaning, 

 not only of the ceremony in general, which is called 

 Natcke, but of its different parts. We seldom got 

 any other answer to our inquiries, but taboo ; a word 

 which I have before observed, is applied to many 

 other things. But as the prince was evidently the 

 principal person concerned in it ; and as we had been 

 told by the king, ten days before the celebration of 

 the Natche, that the people would bring in yams for 

 him and his son to eat together ; and as he even 

 described some part of the ceremony, we concluded, 

 from what he had then said, and from what we now 

 saw, that an oath of .allegiance, if I may so express 

 myself, or solemn promise, was on this occasion made 

 to the prince, as the immediate successor to the regal 

 dignity, to stand by him, and to furnish him with the 

 several articles that were here emblematically re- 

 presented. This seems the more probable, as all the 

 principal people of the island, whom we had ever 

 seen, assisted in the processions. But, be this as it 

 may, the whole was conducted with a great deal of 

 mysterious solemnity ; and that there was a mixture 

 of religion in the institution, was evident, not only 

 from the place where it was performed, but from 

 the manner of performing it. Our dress and deport- 

 ment had never been called in question upon any 

 former occasion whatever. Now, it was expected 

 that we should be uncovered as low as the waist ; 

 that our hair should be loose, and flowing over our 

 shoulders ; that we should, like themselves, sit cross? 



