218 



His entertainment of the ship's officers. 

 Messenger from Kantavu. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Jimmy Housman. 

 Exhibition of fireworks. 



around a large circle, until it reaches his principal 

 wife, who feeds him with her hands. Many of 

 the chiefs always require the ava-cup to be held 

 to their mouths. Notwithstanding all this cere- 

 mony, the chiefs, and the people sitting around 

 them, join familiarly in the conversation, and ap- 

 pear otherwise perfectly at their ease. 



The king at once ordered provisions for his 

 guests, for whom seats were provided on a sea- 

 chest. The principal article of food was the salt 

 beef he had received as a present from the ship, 

 and which he named bula-ma-kau. The origin of 

 this name is not a little singular, and is due to our 

 countryman, Captain Eagleston, who has been for 

 several years trading among this group. Wishing 

 to confer a benefit on these natives, he took on 

 board a bull and cow at Tahiti, and brought them 

 to Rewa, where he presented them to the king. 

 On being asked the name of them, he said they 

 were called " bull and cow," which words the 

 natives at once adopted as a single term to desig- 

 nate both, and thenceforward these animals have 

 been known as bula-ma-kau. The beef was found 

 to be more savoury than on board ship, perhaps 

 from being twice boiled. The king was asked to 

 join them, which he did, although he had just 

 finished a hearty meal. After the meal was over, 

 a small earthen finger-bowl was brought to the 

 king to wash his hands, and as the attendant did 

 not seem to be prepared to extend the like courtesy 

 to our gentlemen, a desire for a similar utensil was 

 expressed and complied with, although apparently 

 with some reluctance. In like manner, when the 

 jar of water was brought to the king, one of the 

 party seized upon it and drank, and the rest 

 followed suit, to the evident distress of the attend- 

 ant. It was afterwards understood that his anxiety 

 arose from the vessel being tabooed, as every thing 

 belonging or appropriated to the use of the king 

 is. The Papalangi chiefs are exempted from these 

 restrictions. 



When the meal was finished, the whole company 

 seated themselves in a semicircle. The house was 

 now converted into an audience-hall, and the offi- 

 cers and stewards of the king entered to render 

 their report of the day respecting the management 

 of his business. A chief had just arrived to pay his 

 respects to the king, and was dressed in a piece of 

 new tapa, which was wrapped around his body in 

 numerous folds. When he had seated himself, he 

 unrolled it, and tore it into strips of three fathoms 

 in length, which he distributed to the chiefs around 

 him, who immediately substituted it for their own 

 dresses. This chief was the messenger announcing 

 a tribute from Kantavu, and he had come to re- 

 ceive the commands of the king relative to its 

 presentation, which was fixed upon to take place 

 the next day. 



Ava was chewing when Captain Hudson and his 

 party entered. They were kindly received by the 

 king, who seated them near him. There is a pe- 

 culiar ceremony observed among this people in 

 mixing their ava. It having been first chewed by 

 several young persons, on the pouring in of the 

 water, they all, following the ambati, raise a kind 

 of howl, and say, " Ai sevu." The people present 

 were arranged in a semicircle, having the chief 

 operator in the centre, with an immense wooden 

 bowl before him. The latter, immediately after the 

 water is poured in,begins to strain the liquid through 



the woody fibres of the van, and at the same time 

 sings. He is accompanied in his song by those pre- 

 sent, who likewise imitate all his motions with the 

 upper part of their bodies while in a sitting posture. 

 The motions keep time to the song. The king 

 joined occasionally in the song; and when any im- 

 portant stage of the operation was arrived at, the 

 song ceased, and a clapping of hands ensued. As 

 each cup was filled to be served out, the ambati 

 sitting near uttered the same wild howl as befoi-e. 

 The first cup is filled from another, that answers 

 both for dipper and funnel, having a hole in it, over 

 which he who brews the av<i places his finger when 

 dipping, and then withdrawing it, lets the liquid 

 run out in a stream. They are very particular to 

 see that no one touches the king's cup except the 

 cup-bearer. 



On the present occasion, a worthless Englishman 

 by the name of James Housman, called Jim or 

 Jimmy, officiated. Few would have distinguished 

 him from a native, so closely was he assimilated to 

 them in ideas and feelings, as well as in his crouch- 

 ing before the chiefs, his mode of sitting, and 

 slovenly walk. On the king's finishing drinking, 

 there was a general clapping of hands; but when 

 the lower order of chiefs were served, this was not 

 observed, and in lieu of it, there was a general ex- 

 clamation of " Sa madaa" (it is empty). After ava 

 the king rinses his mouth, lights his cigar, or pipe, 

 and lolls on his mat. It was laughable to see the 

 king's barber take his ava; as he is not allowed to 

 touch any thing with his hands, it becomes neces- 

 sary that the cup shall be held for him by another 

 person, who also feeds him. One of the officers 

 gave him a cigar, which was lighted and put in his 

 mouth, and when he wished to remove it, he did it 

 in a very ingenious manner by twisting a small twig 

 around it. 



The king made many inquiries, spoke of his 

 riches, his patent rifle, and the feast he intended to 

 give; but he wanted a double-barrelled gun. He 

 likewise spoke of being desirous of sending his two 

 little girls (the only children he has) to the mis- 

 sionary school, but their attendants (they have male 

 nurses) were such thieves they would steal every 

 thing they could lay their hands on from the mis- 

 sionaries, and in this way would give him a great 

 deal of trouble. Captain Hudson induced him to 

 promise to build the missionaries comfortable 

 houses, as soon as the weather became good, and 

 he had received his tribute from Kantavu. He 

 spoke kindly of the missionaries, and seemed well 

 satisfied that their object was to do himself and his 

 people good. The king ordered his household to 

 chant a kind of song, for the amusement of his 

 guests, the subject of which was the adventures of 

 a chief on a voyage, after leaving his wife, and her 

 resolution to destroy herself in consequence of his 

 failing to return. 



About nine o'clock the fireworks were exhibited. 

 When the first rocket was sent off, the natives exhi- 

 bited fear and excitement; the king seized Captain 

 Hudson by the hand and trembled like a leaf. 

 When the rockets burst, and displayed their many 

 stars, they all seemed electrified. The effect pro- 

 duced by the blue-lights on the dark groups of naked 

 figures, amazed and bewildered as they were, was 

 quite striking, particularly as the spectacle was ac- 

 companied by the uncouth sounds of many conchs, 

 and by the yell of the savages, to drive away the 



