THEPACIFIC OCEAN. 67 



the maro ; and Otoo rofe up, and wrapped it about him, se'tember 

 holding, at the fame time, in his hand, a cap or bonnet, 

 ■compofcd of the red feathers of the tail of the tropic bird, 

 mixed with other feathers of a dark colour. He flood in 

 the middle fpace, facing the three priefts, who continued 

 their prayers for about ten minutes ; when a man, ftarting 

 from the crowd, faid fomething which ended with the 

 word heiva! and the crowd echoed back to him, three times, 

 Earee! This, as I had been told before, was the principal part 

 of the folemnity. 



The company now moved to the oppofite fide of the great 

 pile of floncs, where is, what they call, the king's morai', 

 which is not unlike a large grave. Here the fame ceremony 

 was perf^ormed over again, and ended in three cheers. The 

 viaro was now wrapped up, and encrcafed in its fplendor by 

 the addition of a fmall piece of red feathers, which one of 

 the priefts gave Otoo when he had it on, and which he 

 lluck into it. 



From this place, the people went to a large hut, clofe by 

 the morai, where they fcated ihemfelves in much greater or- 

 der than is ufual among them. A man of Tiaraboo, thea 

 made on oration, which lafted about ten minutes. He was 

 followed by an Attahooroo man ; afrerward Potatou fpoke 

 with much greater fluency and grace than any of tl>em ; 

 for, in general, they fpoke in fliorr, broken fentences, with a 

 motion of the hand that was rather awkward. Toofeo,X)too's 

 orator, fpoke next ; and, after him, a man from Eimeo. Two 

 or three more fpeeches were made; but not much attended 

 to. Omai told me, that the fpeeches declared, that they 

 fliould not fight, but all be friends. Asmany of the fpcakcrs 

 exprefTed themfclves with warmth, pofTibly there v/ere fome 



K 2 recrimi-' 



