532 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



tliem, without ceremony, as the 

 chief may need. Though the 

 provision they have by them be 

 ever so scanty, they are required 

 to cook a part of it for the chief ; 

 so that they are frequently oblig- 

 ed to eat the root of the plantain 

 tree for a wretched subsistence, 

 or to resort to the chief and beg 

 some food. The chief will send 

 his attendants round the districts, 

 in a time of scarcity, and order 

 the people to dress a certain 

 quantity of provisions for him 

 by a limited time ; with which 

 he lays up a store for himself, 

 and his wives and household, 

 and leaves others to get what 

 they can. 



They often drink the kava from 

 break of day to eleven or twelve 

 o'clock at noon, till their attend- 

 ants are completely tired of wait- 

 ing on them. They then go and 

 lie down, and sleep for two or 

 three hours ; when they rise they 

 bathe, walk among the planta- 

 tions, or amuse themselves in 

 wrestling, boxing, or any other 

 way that pleases their fancy ; but 

 particularly in bathing, in playing 

 in the water, and shooting of ar- 

 rows. Bathing is a very favourite 

 amusement, in which they gene- 

 rally indulge two or three times 

 a-day. Both sexes often play to- 

 gether in the water at the follow- 

 ing diversion : — They fix two 

 posts, about a hundred yards 

 distant from each other, in a 

 depth of water about four feet, 

 near the shore, and midway be- 

 twixt them is placed a large stone. 

 Then dividing into two compa- 

 nies, the game is, which side 

 can first tug the stone to their 

 own post. In playing at this di- 

 version with them, I have seen 

 numbers at the bottom of the 



water together, hauling and pull- 

 ing the stone different waj'S with 

 all the eagerness that contend- 

 ing parties, in the northern coun- 

 ties of England, exert them- 

 selves to drive the shinney to 

 its goal. When a diver return- 

 ed to the surface for breath, 

 another of his party instantly 

 dived down to take his place. 

 I have seen one person carry 

 a stone, of considerable weight, 

 ten or twelve yards in this game, 

 through the buoyant aid of the 

 water. 



But they take particular delight 

 in another amusement inthewater, 

 called Furnefoo. They go down 

 to the flat shore at high water, 

 when the swell rolls with great 

 force to the land, and plunge in 

 and swim some yards into the sea, 

 then pushing themselves on the 

 top of the swell, they ride in, 

 close to the shore. It is asto- 

 nishing to see with what dexterity 

 they will steer themselves on the 

 wave, one hand being stretched 

 out as the prow, before, and the 

 other guiding them like a rudder 

 behind: and thoughtheyare riding 

 in upon the swelling billow, with 

 a frightful rapidity, thatmakes you 

 apprehend they will be dashed 

 and killed upon the shore, they 

 will, with surprising agility, turn 

 themselves suddenly on one side, 

 and darting back through the 

 next wave, swim out to sea, till 

 another swell wafts them on to- 

 wards shore ; when, if inclined to 

 land, they will again turn them- 

 selves on one side, and, awaiting 

 the wave's return, dart through the 

 refluent surge, and reach the shore 

 in safety. Several hours are often 

 spent at one time in this sport, in 

 which the women are as skilful as 

 the men. I never attempted this ' 



