98 A MISSION TO VITI. 



for their presence conferred a distinguished honour on 

 Navua, and the neighbouring tribes should know the 

 fact as soon as the great drum could send forth its roll- 

 ing peals. As he concluded, all the men in the house 

 clapped their hands, and exclaimed, " Mana, mana, 

 mana ! " At the same instant the great drum, or lati, 

 was beaten lustily, and our presence in Navua was he- 

 ralded throughout the district. 



The chief's eyes glistened, and a proud smile of ex- 

 ultation gleamed over his face as we threw ourselves 

 at full length on the clean mats spread for us. Our 

 loquacious interpreter here began to describe a huge 

 iron pot that was near the door, and to tell how wick- 

 edly it had been appropriated to boil the carcases of 

 slaughtered men instead of bcche-de-mer ; thus confirm- 

 ing the rumour which Macdonald had told in the Geo- 

 graphical Society's Journal. A rather unpleasant feeling 

 stole over us, and we thought of friends and homes 

 far away. Our peace of mind, however, was soon re- 

 stored, when the chief proposed that we should join him 

 in a bowl of kava, a beverage prepared from the root 

 of the South Sea pepper, by being masticated by young 

 men, and tasting like soapsuds, jalap, and magnesia ! 

 A baked pig and some half-dozen baskets of yams were 

 next brought in by women, headed by the chiefs 

 favourite wife, all crawling on their hands and knees. 

 Hungry as we were, the story of the big pot made us 

 rather revolt from this frugal meal ; but ascertaining 

 that it was a real pig we beheld before us, we dined. 

 It is a curious fact, that Fijian custom does not permit 

 the host to partake of the meal which he provides for 



