208 MODE OF PROCURING FIRE. 
on a foraging party, and Mr. Hoffman was 
under the necessity of begging him to mode- 
rate his zeal, and leave the care of the enter- 
tainment to their host. The old man fetched 
4 pig, and Maititi, with great dexterity, played 
the part both of butcher and cook. Mr. 
Hoffman describes the operation of lighting 
the fire on this occasion, in the following man- 
ner:—A Tahaitian took two pieces of wood 
of different degrees of hardness, laid the softer 
upon the ground, and very rapidly rubbed its 
length backwards and forwards with the harder. 
This made a furrow, in which the dust rubbed 
from the wood collected, and soon became hot; 
it was then shaken among dry leaves and burst 
into a flame. The whole process seemed easy 
and quick; but Mr. Hoffman could not suc- 
ceed in it though he made many attempts. 
Before supper, the master of the house recited 
a prayer aloud, the family repeating it after 
him, but not audibly. They then ate a hearty 
but silent meal, and prayed again before lying 
down to sleep. The couch offered to Mr. Hoff- 
man was a raised platform in the hut, thickly 
spread with mats, with a pair of sheets of the 
