278 VOYAGE TO THE 



sidered a more fit person to manage the affairs of the 

 state than her sister, who had doubtless the greater 

 ^Sc!' claim to the office. We found that the queen 

 mother, widow of Pomarree II., had married a chief 

 of Bora Bora, a fine-looking lad of ten or eleven 

 years of age, and that Aimatta was united to a chief 

 of Huaheine, a short corpulent person, who, in con- 

 sequence of his marriage, was allowed to bear the 

 royal name of Pomarree, to which, however, in allu- 

 sion to his figure, and in conformity with their 

 usual custom, they had added the appropriate but 

 not very elegant surname of "Aboo-rai," or big- 

 belly. 



We treated the royal party with the few good 

 things which remained, and they landed at night, 

 highly delighted with a display of fire-works pur- 

 posely prepared for them. Next morning the party 

 repeated their visit, somewhat better dressed, and 

 accompanied by Aimatta and Aboo-rai. They were 

 followed by a large double canoe and many small 

 single ones, bearing upon their gunwales heaps of 

 fruit and roots, and four enormous hogs, at the im- 

 minent risk of upsetting the whole. The double 

 canoe was the " last of her race," and had been used 

 for the nobler purposes of war, but, like the inhabi- 

 tants, was now devoted to humbler but more useful 

 occupations. 



As soon as the queen reached the deck she ten- 

 dered the present to me in the name of the young 

 king, then at the missionary school at Eimeo, and I 

 returned the compliment that was due to her for this 

 mark of her attention, as well as for the munificence 

 of the gift. As soon as the remainder of the party 

 were assembled, it was proposed that we should 



