Oloosinga. Description of Oloosinga. 

 Residence of the king. 



SAMOAN GROUP. 



The king of Oloosinga. 



This island is inhabited. The principal settle- 

 ment is on the north-west side, and there is anchor- 

 age for a small vessel near the shore, where there 

 is a cove to land in, with but little surf during the 

 fine season, or from April to November. It has a 

 shore-reef of coral, and the soundings extend off 

 some distance, eight fathoms being found four hun- 

 dred yards from the shore. 



The canoes of these islanders were the best we 

 had seen. They are built of a log, having upon it 

 pieces fastened together, to raise them sufficiently 

 high. They are thirty or forty feet long, and are 

 partly covered in at both ends. Some of them are 

 capable of containing twenty or twenty-five men, 

 and are very swift. The chief usually sits cross- 

 legged on the forward platform or deck. They 

 have an out-rigger, which is not so far removed 

 from the canoe, and renders them more liable to 

 be upset. 



The king or chief of these islands resides at 

 Oloosinga, in consequence of its being more easily 

 defended. 



After our party reached the ship, we made sail 

 for Oloosinga, where I went on shore to see the 

 king or chief, who was old and decrepit. His name 

 is Lalelah. His brother, and presumptive suc- 

 cessor, was with him, and met me as I landed from 

 the boat. His mode of salutation was by taking 

 my hand and rubbing the back of it against his 

 uose. 



The old man, I was told by the interpreter, 

 could speak a little English, but I could not un- 

 derstand him. This he attributed to his age, and 

 would not admit that it was owing to his ignorance 

 of the language. They led the way to his hut, 

 situated under a mural precipice twelve hundred 

 feet in height. 



The island of Oloosinga is a narrow ledge of 

 rocks, rising nearly perpendicular on both sides, 

 and is three miles in length. So precipitous is it at 

 its ends, that it is impossible to pass around it on 

 the rocks. The strip of land is about five hundred 

 yards in width, on which bread-fruits and cocoa- 

 nuts grow in great profusion and sufficient abun- 

 dance for all the wants of the natives. They told 

 me that this island had been chosen as a place of 

 safety, since the other became unsettled in conse- 

 quence of the wars of the Christian and Devil's 

 parties ; and that the island of Manua had for- 

 j merly been the residence of the king, but that he 

 found himself unsafe there, and had taken up his 

 abode at Oloosinga, on its north-western side. 



His house was elliptical in form, and thirty feet 

 long, erected on a well-flagged terrace of stone, 

 about four feet above the ground. It was well- 

 shaded with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, and 

 was supported around by ten stout posts, with 

 three others in the centre reaching the top. The 

 roof came down within three and a half feet of the 

 ground, and projected as eaves about eighteen 

 inches or two feet. In the centre the hut was 

 fifteen feet high and well thatched. 



The whole floor was ordered to be spread with 

 fine mats, which were carefully unrolled, and laid 

 over the coarser ones on the floor. The king then 

 seated himself in the centre, and desired me to 

 take a seat between himself and brother. Shortly 

 afterwards two large wooden trays were brought 

 in, filled with cooked bread-fruit and covered over 

 with leaves. One of these was placed before me, 



whi-n the king made a long speech, giving me 

 welcome and offering food to eat. I was then de- 

 sired to hand some to the king and his brother, 

 and to others who were pointed out to me. This I 

 did, but unfortunately continued my task, and 

 handed it to one of the kanakas, or common people, 

 who were sitting close around us ; much displea- 

 sure was evinced, accompanied with angry looks. 

 I now looked around for my men, but they were 

 out of sight, on their return to the boat. In order 

 to make the best of my situation, I asked what was 

 meant, and feigned to be quite ignorant of having 

 given any offence. After a minute they were 

 apparently appeased, and pleasant looks were re- 

 stored. 



They handed round a shell containing cocoa-nut 

 oil to dip the bread-fruit in, and another contain- 

 ing salt water. After we had eaten, they began a 

 careful examination of my clothes, and appeared 

 much pleased with the buttons. My pocket-hand- 

 kerchief was taken out of my pocket, and spread 

 on the mat to be examined by the king. His brother 

 took off my hat and put it on the top of his large 

 bushy head. They then had ava made, of which 

 I could not partake, after seeing the process of 

 making it. It is first chewed by the women and 

 thrown into a large bowl; water is added to it, and 

 it is then strained through leaves. This was par- 

 taken of by them all, while they gave me a fresh 

 cocoa-nut. 



They were becoming more familiar every mo- 

 ment, and it was getting late, so I thought it time 

 to make a move. I therefore rose up, and was fol- 

 lowed by the natives, in number upwards of a 

 hundred, including the king and his brother, to 

 the boat. I looked carefully around for arms, but 

 saw none among them. My boat was aground : 

 the king, his brother, and several others got into 

 it, saying they must have some presents. They 

 seemed disposed to resist, and showed a determina- 

 tion to contest our getting off. I on the other hand 

 was determined to get rid of them, and peaceably 

 if I could ; I therefore ordered the boat's crew to 

 arm themselves, and drive every one of the natives 

 from the boat, at the same time intimating to the 

 king to use his authority, which I found, however, 

 existed only in name. We thus succeeded in get- 

 ting clear of the crowd, until we had no more than 

 eight left ; to each of these I presented a small 

 fish-hook, and ordered them to get into the water, 

 which was about a foot deep, and go ; this they 

 did, one by one. At last came the king and his 

 brother's turn, to whom I presented, with great 

 ceremony, first a small and then a large fish-hook; 

 after which they left me, apparently in great good 

 humour. I was heartily glad to be rid of such 

 rapacious troublesome fellows so easily and with- 

 out a fight. We then pushed our boat off. When 

 just beyond the reef, in taking up our anchor, the 

 boat had the appearance of returning again on 

 shore. On seeing this, a great shout was set up by 

 the natives, and one of them immediately advanced 

 with my powder-flask. He said it had been taken 

 by a boy out of the boat, and had been dropped into 

 the water, to be picked up after we had shoved off. 

 I gave the man a small present for his apparent 

 honesty ; but I am inclined to believe it was the 

 fear of detection, and the belief that we had missed 

 the article, and were returning for it, that induced 

 them to give it up so willingly. It was some time 



