84 CBUISE OF THE ' CUBAQOA.' 



' tokens-of-virginity ' ^ are exhibited. Girls who have re- 

 mained chaste up to marriage agree to undergo this process 

 (thouo-h not otherwise immodest) in order to demonstrate 

 the fact of their virtue. But owing mainly to the sexual 

 relations subsisting between boys and girls from a very 

 early age, these ceremonies are very rare ; one had occurred 

 about five months before om- arrival, and another was to 

 take place in about three weeks time. 



As respects the internal communication of the country, 

 they are of the rudest kind, mere tracks, or rather paths too 

 narrow for any vehicle ; neither the influence of the chief, 

 nor the presence of the whites, seem to operate any im- 

 provement in this direction. 



Here, as in other pLaces Ave have visited, the natives have 

 exchanged their ancient implements of war for those used 

 by Europeans, with the exception of the tomahawk, which 

 they still retain. They are very fond of firing off guns, an 

 amusement they have recourse to on every possible oppor- 

 tunity ; the very night before our departure the report of 

 gun-shots was to be heard all along the bay, on the occa- 

 sion, as we were informed, of the death of a petty chief. 



No mineral of any value or utility has hitherto been 

 found in these islands. The chief uatm^al curiosities of 

 Upolu are an ancient crater and a cascade. The crater, 

 situated twelve miles from Apia, is filled with a lake which 

 covers about twelve acres, and on the borders of which 

 grow palm-trees and large ferns. The cascade, which may 

 ' Deuteronomy. See Note at p. 58. 



