FIJI ISLANDS. 329 



whole of the shaved part with a thick coating of a bright 

 vermilion red. 



We drank kaava and tasted Fijian puddings, which are 

 glutinous semi-fluid masses, made of taro and cocoanut, and 

 flavoured with molasses. The puddings are kept done up in a 

 bag of banana leaf, and are very nasty, though specially prepared 

 as a luxury on this occasion. The chief showed us two clubs, 

 family heirlooms, which had killed a large number of illustrious 

 enemies ; but since, as he told us, they are always kept very 

 carefully oiled, just as we oil our cricket bats, there was no hair 

 or remains of blood or brains about them. 



It was past noon before the people began to assemble in 

 considerable numbers, and seat themselves on the banks and 

 rising ground, commanding a view of the dancing-place. The 

 dancing was begun by the body of young men which I had 

 before seen practising the same dance for this grand occasion 

 at Bureta, in Ovalau. 



There were about 80 men in this company. A party stood 

 together in the centre and kept up a sort of chant, one of their 

 number beating time with two sticks upon a small bar of light 

 wood, which was held by the hands of another. The remainder 

 danced round to the chorus in a ring, but every now and then, 

 changes between members of the ring and chorus took place. 

 One of the chants I took down as " Raihi val sal sate a durum." 

 The last sound was uttered with a peculiar lingering humming 

 sound. The words chanted, usually have no meaning, corre- 

 sponding to our fal la la, and similar sounds. 



The chant was commenced always as a solo, the chorus 

 joining in after the first few notes. Combined with the music, 

 with excellent effect at various stages of the dance, was the 

 loud clapping of hands, which was done in most perfect time, 

 the claps of all the dancers and chorus sounding as one. Two 

 kinds of claps were used, one with the hands hollowed, and the 

 other with them flat. The two sounds thus produced served 

 further to diversify the effect, and there was also added a loud 

 shrill cry used in some of the figures just before their conclusion, 

 and uttered by one performer only, and which came in very 

 well. 



