FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 179 
about as expensive as at home, but the quality perhaps averaged 
better. 
On Saturday there was nothing doing in the afternoon, as 
every business place was closed up here as elsewhere in the Do- 
minion. We therefore elected to take a half-holiday and attend 
a foot-ball game. We found the tram-cars crowded, likewise the 
ball park in the suburbs. The game was Rugby, of course, and 
the grammar school and King’s college were the contestants. The 
boys appeared a little older on the average than our high school 
lads. They wore no guards, pads or extra protection of any sort 
and the knees and a good deal of their legs were bare. There 
were no chalk-lines forming the familiar gridiron of our fields and 
the object was to kick rather than to carry the ball. There were 
fifteen men on a side and the game was very snappy and quick. 
No time was taken out and there was a continuous series of be- 
wildering fast plays throughout each quarter. When the ball went 
over the side lines it was at once thrown back into the scrimmage 
and the ‘‘serim’’ was formed by a circling mass of boys who 
milled around until the ball was forced out of the ring and into 
play. 
We had a great time getting back to town as the tram service 
was quite inadequate to transport the crowd; the laws regarding 
over-crowding were strictly enforced, no more passengers being 
admitted than there were seats, and it seems that strap-hanging is 
an unknown art there. The guard stood at the entrance and 
counted the people as they got aboard and immediately barred the 
door when the quota was complete. Several times we were just 
too late and waited for over an hour before finally finding seats. 
The fares are paid according to a zoning system and one pays in 
proportion to the distance, being given a receipt by the conductor. 
We got back to our restaurant almost too late to be served and 
most of the articles on the bill of fare were out, so that we had 
te content ourselves with cold mutton, bread and butter. A little 
later and we would have gone supperless to bed. 
Sunday was a bright sunny day, but chilly inside; so Thomas 
and I sat on a bench in the little park at Emily Place. Here we 
saw the ubiquitous English sparrow again, the little rascal that is 
rapidly populating the world, and is almost exactly on the op- 
posite side of the earth from its original home. <A man strolled 
toward us and taking a seat beside us immediately began a fierce 
diatribe against the United States on account of prohibition. He 
