Si6 A V O Y A G E T O 



»777- living hog, a baked one, a quantity of yams, and a large- 

 piece of cloth. When I returned to the Icing, I found hitn» 

 and his circle of attendants, drinking the fecond bowl of ^ 

 kava. That being emptied, he told Omai, that he was 

 going prefently to perform a mourning ceremony, called 

 1'ooge, on account of a fon v/ho had been dead forae time ; 

 and he defired us to accompany him. We were glad of the 

 opportunity, expecting to fee fpmewliat new or curious. 



The firil thing the Chief did, was to flep out of the houfe, 

 attended by two old women, and put on a new fuit of 

 clothes, or rather a new piece of cloth, and, over it, an old 

 ragged mat, that might have ferved his great grandfather, 

 on fome fuch occafion. His fervants, or thofc who attended 

 him, were all dreffed in the fame manner, excepting that 

 none of their mats could vie, in antiquity, with that of their 

 mafter. Thus equipped, we marched off, preceded by about 

 eight or ten perfons, all in the above habits of ceremony, 

 each of them, befides, having a fmall green bough about 

 his neck. Poulaho held his bough in his hand, till we drew 

 near the place of rendezvous, when he alfo put it about 

 his neck. We now entered a fmall inclofure, in which was 

 a neat houfe, and we found one man fitting before it. As 

 the company entered, they pulled off the green branches 

 from round their necks, and threw them away. The king 

 having firft feated himfelf, the others fat down before him, 

 in the ufual manner. The circle increafed, by others drop- 

 ping in, to the number of a hundred or iipward, moftly 

 old men, all drefled as above defcribed. The company 

 being completely alTembled, a large root of kava, brought by 

 one of the king's fervants, was produced, and a bowl which 

 contained four or five gallons. Several perfons now began 

 10 chew the root, and this bowl was made brirafuU of 



liquor^. 



