THIRD VOYAGE 257 



observed that she first wetted the hair with a rag dipped 

 in water, applying her instrument to that part which she 

 had previously soaked. The operation seemed to give no 

 pain to the child, although the hair was taken off as close 

 as if one of our razors had been employed. Encouraged 

 by what I now saw, I soon after tried one of those singular 

 instruments upon myself, and found it to be excellent 

 succedaneum. However, the men of these islands have 

 recourse to another contrivance when they shave their 

 beards. The operation is performed with two shells ; one 

 of which they place under a small part of the beard, and 

 with the other, applied above, they scrape that part off. 

 In this manner they are able to shave very close. The 

 process is, indeed, rather tedious, but not painful ; * and 

 there are men amongst them who seem to profess this 

 trade. It was as common, while we were here, to see our 

 sailors go ashore to have their beards scraped off, after the 

 fashion of Hapaee, as it was to see their chiefs come on 

 board to be shaved by our barbers. 



" Finding that little or nothing of the produce of the 

 island was now brought to the ships, I resolved to change 

 our station, and in the afternoon of the 26th of May, I 

 hauled into a bay that lies between the south end of Lef ooga, 

 and the north end of Hoolaiva, and there anchored. 



" Near the south end of the island of Lefooga we met 

 with an artificial mount. From the size of some trees that 

 were growing upon it, and from other appearances, I 

 guessed that it had been raised in remote times. I judged 

 it to be about forty feet high, and the diameter of its summit 

 measured fifty feet. At the bottom of this mount stood 

 a stone, which must have been hewn off coral rock. It 

 was four feet broad, two and a half thick, and fourteen 

 high ; and we were told by the natives present, that not 

 above half its length appeared above ground. They 

 called it Tangata Arekee,* and said that it had been set 

 up, and the mount raised by some of their forefathers, in 

 memory of one of their kings, but how long since they 

 could not tell. 



" About noon, a large sailing canoe came under our 

 stern, in which was a person named Futtafaihe or Poulaho, 

 or both, who, as the natives then on board told us, was 

 king of Tongataboo, and of all the neighbouring islands. 

 It being my interest, as well as my inclination, to pay 

 court to all the great men, without making inquiry into 

 the validity of their assumed titles, I invited Poulaho 

 on board ; he brought with him, as a present, two fat 



* Tangata, in their language, is man ; Arekee, king. 

 68i 



