338 AVOYAGETO 



«777- procefllon, in which about two hundred and fifty perfons 



July. '^ 



' w ' walked. 



Omai was defired by me, to alk the Chief, to what place 

 the yams were to be thus carried, with fo much folemnity ? 

 bur, as he feemed unwilling to give us the information we 

 wanted, two or three of us followed the procefhon, contrary 

 to his inclination. Wc found, that they flopped before a ?/iorai 

 or fatooka * of one houfe flanding upon a mount, which was 

 hardly a quarter of a mile from the place where they firfl 

 affembled. Here we obferved them depofiting tiie yams, 

 and making them up into bundles ; but for what purpofe, 

 we could not learn. And; as our prefence feemed to give 

 them uneafinefs, wc left them, and returned to Poulaho, who 

 told us, we might amufe ourfelves by walking about, as no- 

 thing would be done for fomc time. The fear of lofing any 

 part of the ceremony, prevented our being long abfent. When 

 we returned to the king, he defired me to order the boat's 

 crew not to ilir from the boat ; for, as every thing would, very 

 foon, be taboo, if any of our people, or of their own, fliould 

 be found walking about, they would be knocked down 

 with clubs ; my matccd, that is, killed. He alfo acquaintexl 

 us, that we could not be prefent at the ceremony; but that 

 we Ihould be condu(5ted to a place, where we might fee 

 every thing that palFed. Objecftions were made to our 

 drefs. Wc were told, that, to qualify us to be prefent, it 

 was neceffary that we fliould be naked as low as tlie bread, 

 with our hats oif, and our hair untied. Omai offered to 

 conform to thefe requifites, and began to ftrip ; other objec- 

 tions were then ftarted ; fo that the exclufion was given to 

 him equally with ourfelves. 



♦ This is the Jjgiooia mentioned above by Mr. Anderfon, p. 321, 



t I did 



