476 MYSTIC ISLES 



games which his grandfather played were out of style. 

 Among these was a variation of golf, with cm-ved sticks, 

 and a ball made of strips of native cloth ; and foot-ball 

 with a ball of banana-leaves tightly rolled. Grown-ups 

 in those Tahitian times were experts in all these sports, 

 women excelling at foot-ball, with thirty on each side, 

 and captains, backs, and guards, or similar participants, 

 and with hard struggles for the ball, which, as the games 

 were played on the beach, often had to be fought for 

 in the sea. The spectators, thousands, did not view the 

 contest fix)m seats, but literally followed it as it surged 

 up and down within the space of a mile. 



Wrestling was the most notable amusement, and box- 

 ing was fashionable for women, some of whom were 

 skilled in fistic combats. The wrestlers, as their Greek 

 prototypes, first invoked the favor of the gods, and 

 offered sacrifices when victorious. The palestra was on 

 a lawn by the sea, and in formal contests district cham- 

 pions met those of other districts, and islands competed 

 for supremacy with other islands. The maona wore 

 a breech-clout and a coat of cocoanut oil freshly laid on, 

 but not sand, as in the Olympiads. When one was 

 thrown, the victor's friends shouted in triumph and sang 

 and danced about him to the music of tom-toms, while 

 the backers of the loser met the demonstrations with ridi- 

 cule. This was much like the organized yelling on our 

 gridirons ; and when the wrestling began again there was 

 instant silence. It was all good-humored, as was the 

 boxing. 



Spear-throwing and stone-slinging at targets were 

 both fun and preparation for war, for in the battles 

 the slingers took the van. The stones were here, as in 



