1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 451 



company sit down to what we should call a sociable 

 meal, by eating from the same dish. The food, be 

 what it will, is always divided into portions, each to 

 serve a certain number; these portions are again 

 subdivided; so that one seldom sees above two or 

 three persons eating together. The women are not 

 excluded from eating with the men; but there are 

 certain ranks or orders amongst them, that can 

 neither eat nor drink together. This distinction 

 begins with the king ; but where it ends I cannot 

 say. 



They seem to have no set time for meals ; though 

 it should be observed, that, during our stay amongst 

 them, their domestic economy was much disturbed 

 by their constant attention to us. As far as we 

 could remark, those of the superior rank only drink 

 kava in the forenoon, and the others eat perhaps a 

 bit of yam ; but we commonly saw all of them eat 

 something in the afternoon. It is probable that the 

 practice of making a meal in the night is pretty 

 common ; and their rest being thus interrupted, they 

 frequently sleep in the day. They go to bed as soon 

 as it is dark, and rise with the dawn in the morning.* 



They are very fond of associating together ; so 

 that it is common to find several houses empty, and 

 the owners of them convened in some other one, or 

 rather upon a convenient spot in the neighbour- 

 hood, where they recreate themselves by conversing, 

 and other amusements. Their private diversions are 

 chiefly singing, dancing, and music performed by the 

 women. When two or three women sing in concert, 

 and snap their fingers, it is called oobai; but when 

 there is a greater number, they divide into several 

 parties, each of which sings on a different key, 

 which makes a very agreeable music, and is called 



* Cantova says of his islanders, " lis prennent leur repos des 

 que le soleil est couch, et ils se levent avec l'aurore." Lettres 

 Edifiantes et Curieuses, torn. xv. p. 314. 



G G Q 



