84 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



village, which is in the midst of a large cocoa-nut grove, and 

 witnessed the preparations for the feast of the morrow. 

 Groups of natives were scraping cocoa-nut to a powder, grating 

 sugar-cane on old biscuit tin-boxes, killing pigs and preparing 

 the holes in the ground in which to cook them, or cutting the 

 fins off turtle to make them more adapted for cooking in the 

 same method as the pigs. Yams, taro, bread-fruit, and plan- 

 tains were in process of preparation. Troops of natives, in 

 Indian file, carrying these viands, were making their way to 

 the late chief's house to offer them to his widow, each tribe, 

 both in this and the neighbouring islands, contributing its 

 quota. Having arrived near the chief's house, the troop halts 

 and forms a body ; they then march en masse to within twenty 

 yards of the door, and sit down on the grass in a circle with 

 their donations before them. A member of the chief's house- 

 hold then comes out, and, after a few moments' consultation 

 with the leader, re-enters and apprises the widow of the pur- 

 port of their visit ; he then conveys her gracious acceptance of 

 the gifts to the party, who express their pleasure by clapping 

 hands. 



' Passing the house where royalty was put up during this 

 ceremony, we saw that the piles of yams were assuming hay- 

 stack dimensions, and the number of turtle was astonishing. 

 At midday we landed our blue-jackets and marines abreast the 

 ship, where all the chiefs, who had come to the funeral, were 

 seated; they were then marched to the side of the house 

 nearest to the grave, and lined the path from the house to that 

 spot. Slowly the procession moved out. The Catholic priest, 

 accompanied by black boys in red cassocks and white cottas, 

 and bearing candles, led the way ; after these came the coffin, 

 borne by ten lusty natives, and followed by the widow alone ; 

 next Her Majesty's representative, the Lieutenant-Governor of 



