370 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



themselves ; and Kaireekeea, the young man above 

 mentioned, went to them, and receiving the cloth, carried 

 it to Koah, who wrapped it round the Captain, and after- 

 ward offered him the hog, which was brought by Kaireekeea 

 with the same ceremony. 



" Whilst Captain Cook was aloft, in this awkward 

 situation, swathed round with red cloth, and with diffi- 

 culty keeping his hold amongst the pieces of rotten scaffold- 

 ing, Kaireekeea and Koah began their office, chanting 

 sometimes in concert, and sometimes alternately. This 

 lasted a considerable time ; at length Koah let the hog 

 drop, when he and the Captain descended together. He 

 then led him to the images before mentioned, and having 

 said something to each in a sneering tone, snapped his 

 fingers at them as he passed, he brought him to that in 

 the centre, which, from its being covered with red cloth, 

 appeared to be in greater estimation than the rest. Before 

 this figure he prostrated himself and kissed it, desiring 

 Captain Cook to do the same, who suffered himself to be 

 directed by Koah throughout the whole of this ceremony. 



" We were now led back into the other division of the 

 morai, where there was a space ten or twelve feet square, 

 sunk about three feet below the level of the area. Into 

 this we descended, and Captain Cook was seated between 

 two wooden idols, Koah supporting one of his arms, while 

 I was desired to support the other. At this time arrived a 

 second procession of natives carrying a baked hog and a 

 pudding, some bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other vege- 

 tables which were presented as before. 



" When this offering was concluded, the natives sat down, 

 fronting us, began to cut up the baked hog, to peel the 

 vegetables, and break the cocoa-nuts, whilst others em- 

 ployed themselves in brewing the ava, which is done by 

 chewing it in the same manner as at the Friendly Islands. 

 Kaireekeea then took part of the kernel of a cocoa-nut 

 which he chewed, and wrapped it in a piece of cloth, 

 rubbed with it the captain's face, head, hands, arms, and 

 shoulders. The ava was then handed round, and after we 

 had tasted it, Koah and Pareea began to pull the flesh of 

 the hog in pieces, and to put it into our mouths. I had no 

 great objection to be fed by Pareea, who was very cleanly 

 in his person ; but Captain Cook, who was served by 

 Koah, recollecting the putrid hog, could not swallow a 

 morsel ; and his reluctance, as may be supposed, was not 

 diminished, when the old man, according to his own mode 

 of civility, had chewed it for him. 



" When this last ceremony was finished, which Captain 

 Cook put an end to as soon as he decently could, we quitted 



