A Voyage from San Francisco to Tahiti 425 



The Pile of Stones Ready for the Fire Walk 



and saw Cook's "meridian" stone. 

 Frank says his own family and their 

 ancestors have always lived near here, 

 and that their traditions say that Cook's 

 vessel was first seen by the natives from 

 this point, and that he landed here. In 

 the evening the whole Apouhara famil}^ 

 went out, leaving me to keep house. 



July 16. — More ' ' himinies ' ' in morn- 

 ing. In one very good dance by the 

 Cook islanders over thirty persons take 

 part. They sit down in three rows, 

 representing rowers in a canoe, while 



two scull and steer. They have pad- 

 dles, and paddle to the sound of drums. 

 A lookout man sweeps the horizon till 

 he sees a big fish, and the canoe rows 

 for him. One of the steerers sharpens 

 a harpoon and passes it forward, and 

 the fish (a man dressed in red) is har- 

 pooned. There is a tremendous time in 

 pulling him in ; he runs around and en- 

 tangles the line among the bystanders, 

 and finally he gets a second harpoon in 

 him, is hauled on board, and (in panto- 

 mime) cut up with an ax, dismembered, 



