PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION F. 423 



122. "O Niu LE TAU."— "It is Niu who is fighting." 

 O LE FALE SEU LE AiNA." — " The pigeoii-catchiug hut is inhabited." 

 These are two apologetic phrases for speaking when the mouth is 

 full. Niu was a man who ate while fighting. The " fale seu " is 

 the hut in which those who are netting pigeons hide. 



123. " O LE UPEGA LE TALI FAU." — " A net too old to be 

 mended." "O le ava le laga lo." — " An opening in the reef in 

 which no fish is found." Both these phrases are applied to old 

 people or to conquered people who are too weak to rebel. 



124. " E le tauia mule." — " The lumps in the scraped nuts 

 are not squeezed out." This is used of a man of no account wish- 

 ing to be thought to be of some importance. 



125. " FoFo ANE LOU ALO." — "Doctor your belly," be ap- 

 peased : said to an angry chief. 



126. " Ua ta le VILA E LE TAMA NEi." — " The vila (a gesture 

 «ong) is being sung by this child." 



Applied to a crying child or a boaster. 



127. " Ua felata'i le la ma le sami." — "The sun and the 

 «ea are nearing each other." 



A very beautiful simile of a man near death. In the tropics 

 the sea appears to be jumping up to the sun as it neara the horizon 

 when setting at sea. 



" O le a pa'u le ia I LE LOTO " — " The fish is about to fall 

 into the deep hole in the lagoon." 



" Ua felata'i le ia ma le loto." — " The fish and the loto are 

 near each other." 



These three similes have all the same meaning, but the first 

 is by far the most beautiful. 



128. " Ua taimalie o Ve'a." — " A piece of good fortune for 

 Ve'a." 



The ve'a is a bird (Rallus ptctoralis) -which is often found near 

 the cooking house. The words are used when anything very good 

 is found, or any good news heard. 



129. " Ua pipili tia a e mamao ala." — "The hill tops are 

 near, but the roads to them are long." 



Not so easy as you think it to be. 



130. " Ua ta'uta u ua ulu le mai)." — (Often) warned, or told 

 the salt has entered into his body. 



Of a man justly punished after many warnings. 



