564 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
Talanga went up to the rock, and cried, “Rock, rock, divide! 
I am Talanga, come to work my plantation.” Immediately the 
rock divided in the centre, and Talanga entered. The son, Tiitii, 
in like manner approached the rock, and feigned his father’s 
voice with the same ‘“‘Open, sesame,” and obtained admittance to 
the land of Mafuié. He found his father at work in his secret 
plantation. His father started up on seeing his son there, and 
warned him of his proximity to danger, and begged him not to 
talk aloud, lest Matuié should hear him and be angry. Looking 
around on the new scene before him, Tiitii discovered a column 
of smoke, and asked his father what it was. His father told him 
it was the fire of Mafuié. ‘I must go and get some,” said Tuitii. 
“Don’t,” replied Talanga, “he will be angry and devour you.” 
“ T am not afraid,” said the son ; and off he went in wild bravado, 
singing a war-song, and descended the crater. Mafuié rushed 
out upon the young fellow, exclaiming, “Who are you! What 
do you want here?” ‘TI am Tiitii, son of Talanga, and I am come 
for some fire to cook our taro.” “Take it, and begone,” shouted 
Mafuié. Highly delighted with the success of his exploit, Tiitii 
returned to his father with some burning cinders. They then 
quickly made an oven (an easy matter for natives), and were 
about to place the taro in it when the oven blew up, put out the 
fire, and scattered the stones about. Talanga reproved his son 
for his temerity ; but Tiitii, nothing daunted, ran back in a rage 
to Mafuié and abused him, exclaiming, ‘‘ Why have you broken 
up our oven, and put out the fire?’ Mafuié then flew into a 
passion, and rushed out upon Tiitii, and wrestled with him.* 
Tiitii caught Mafuié by the right arm, and wrenched it off. He 
then seized the other, and would have twisted it off also, but 
Mafuié acknowledged his defeat, and begged Tutii to spare his 
left arm. ‘I need it,” he said, ‘to hold Samoa level. If you 
leave me my left arm,” he promised, ‘“‘ you shall have fire, and 
you may always enjoy cooked food.” ‘This was agreed to, and 
Mafuié said, ‘‘Go now, you will obtain fire in every wood you 
cut.” Since then, the story adds, the Samoans have readily 
obtained fire by rubbing one piece of wood against another, and 
also that Mafuié has since only been able to give slight shakes to 
Samoa, by means of a long-handled lever, which he works with 
one hand in his subterranean regions. This legend exists also in 
Tonga and Savage Island (Niué) in somewhat modified forms. 
Among the records of earthquakes which occurred during my 
residence in Samoa, the most remarkable are those which took 
place at the close of 1850, from the 26h September to the 29th 
December. There were seven shocks during that period. On 
26th September, at 9.15 p.m., a single sharp shock, followed by 
* Wrestling matches were favourite sports with the natives. I often met a Samoan 
whose right arm was withered, it having been wrenched from its socket, and the ligature 
broken in such a bout. 
