1777* TIIE PACIFIC OCEAN, 35 



bled. The two bundles occupied the place in which 

 we had seen them deposited the preceding evening; 

 the two drums stood in the front of the morai, but 

 somewhat nearer it than before ; and the priests were 

 beyond them. Otoo placed himself between the two 

 drums, and desired me to stand by him. 



The ceremony began as usual, with bringing a 

 young plantain-tree, and laying it down at the king's 

 feet. After this a prayer was repeated by the 

 priests, who held in their hands several tufts of red 

 feathers, and also a plume of ostrich feathers, which 

 I had given to Otoo on my first arrival, and had 

 been consecrated to this use. When the priests 

 had made an end of the prayer, they changed 

 their station, placing themselves between us and 

 the mor^aty and one of them, the same person 

 who had acted the principal part the day before, be- 

 gan another prayer, which lasted about half an hour. 

 During the continuance of this, the tufts of feathers 

 were, one by one, carried and laid upon the ark of the 

 Ealooa. 



Some little time after, four pigs were produced; one 

 of which was immediately killed, and the others were 

 taken to a stye hard by, probably reserved for some 

 future occasion of sacrifice. One of the bundles was 

 now untied, and it was found, as I have before ob- 

 served, to contain the maro, with which these people 

 invest their kings, and which seems to answer, in 

 some degree, to the European ensigns of royalty. It 

 was carefully taken out of the cloth in which it had 

 been wrapped up, and spread at full length upon the 

 ground before the priests. It is a girdle about five 

 yards long and fifteen inches broad, and, from its 

 name, seems to be put on in the same manner as is 

 the common maro, or piece of cloth used by these peo- 

 ple to wrap round the waist. It was ornamented 

 with red and yellow feathers, but mostly with the 

 latter, taken from a dove found upon the island. The 

 one end was bordered with eight pieces, each about 



d 2 



