Fulton. — On the Fiji Fire-walking Ceremony. 191 



seemed cool, if not cold, and on running the hand up the leg 

 it was like putting it upon a person in high fever. The 

 difference in temperature between sole and calf of leg was 

 most marked, and must have been several degrees. Unfortu- 

 nately, my thermometers were lost on the voyage from Dun- 

 ediu to Auckland, and I could not make any accurate obser- 

 vation. 



Immediately after the " walk " was over great bundles of 

 loose Draccena leaves were thrown on to the hot stones, and 

 the performers, coming back, sat upon them for a few seconds 

 in what was practically a fine steam-bath. The performance 

 being finished, I went at once to the edge of the stones. 

 The heat was not now unbearable, even on the outer rim of 

 the oven. Here I moved some of the stones with my foot, 

 and stood for a few seconds on one or two, which I found did 

 not brown my boots, but which I had felt were too hot to 

 handle. I asked one of the natives — or, rather, made signs to 

 him — to get me a piece, and to my astonishment he coolly 

 walked to the edge of the heap and started to move some 

 of the hot stones with his bare feet for me. He was one of 

 several men who had come down in the steamer from Suva 

 with us, and was not one of the dressed-up " walkers " at all. 

 This rather shook my faith in the "one tribe" theory, and 

 made me form an idea, not yet removed from my mind, that 

 any of the natives, on this or any other of the islands, can 

 perform the feat if they choose ; but they prefer, from a 

 "theatrical point of view," that it remain the monopoly of 

 the Nga Qalita Tribe. 



I got a fine large piece of stone, about 10 in. by 5 in. by 

 2 in., raked out of the fire by this native. He had to drop it 

 several times, as it was too hot to hold in the hand ; but by 

 means of sticks and cocoanut-leaf mid-rib he succeeded, and, 

 wrapping it in a palm-leaf, I carried it to the sea-shore. Here 

 it fizzled and steamed in the water for several minutes, and 

 even then was too hot to carry in the naked hand. This 

 specimen had been taken from near the centre of the oven, 

 had been at the time of removal very hot, had been partially 

 cooled by myself, and I was anxious to bring it back with 

 me, but after carrying it all the way to the steamer " Wai- 

 kare," many miles distant, I lost it going up the gangway 

 ladder. I found it w T as slipping out of its palm-leaf basket, 

 and, trying to catch it, felt it still unpleasantly hot, and had 

 to drop it, unfortunately overboard. 



Now as to an explanation of this so-called "mystery" : 

 It seems a pity in any way to detract from the interest of 

 the Fiji excursions, or to do anything to lessen the popularity 

 and enterprise of those responsible for these splendid exhi- 

 bitions, but it is only right to dispel the idea that science can 



