576 Voyage of the Novara. 



has the title of Talk, the others rising one grade. The mon- 

 arch has the right of freely disposing of his property. As a 

 rule he leaves it to his sons, but if he have none he usually 

 bequeaths it to the next sovereign. Between the monarch 

 and his courtiers some quaint patriarchal customs prevail. 

 Thus the first ripe bread-fruit is brought to the king. When- 

 ever a chief uses a new turtle or fish net, the prey during a 

 certain number of days is sent to the king. Another mark of 

 the respect paid to the king, as also by all ranks to their su- 

 periors, is to be found in the custom for a native who meets 

 another of higher rank in a canoe, — he cowers down in his own 

 boat till the other has passed by, the two canoes approaching 

 on the side opposite the outrigger, so that the person of 

 superior condition may, if he see fit, satisfy himself of the 

 identity of the other. 



The Awnaks and Tchokoits had, at the period of our visit, 

 been at war with each other for six months, and it is signifi- 

 cant of the ferocity and courage of both parties, that not a 

 single combatant had thus far been wounded on either side ! 

 Their weapons are chiefly spears of hard wood, six feet long, 

 the barb, instead of iron, being made of fish-bones, thorns, or 

 ground mussel-shells, which they throw with great dexterity ; 

 also hatchets, long knives, and old muskets, obtained fi^om the 

 whale-fishers in return for yams and tortoiseshell. At present 

 there are about 1500 muskets in all on the island, and each na- 

 tive possesses at least one, some of the chiefs having as many 

 as three, besides ample ammunition. Singular to say, these 



