98 A MISSION TO VITI. 
for their presence conferred a distinguished honour on 
Navua, and the neighbouring tribes should know the 
fact as soon as the great drum could send forth its roll- 
ing peals. As he concluded, all the men in the house 
clapped their hands, and exclaimed, “ Mana, mana, 
mana!” At the same instant the great drum, or lali, 
was beaten lustily, and our presence in Navua was he- 
ralded throughout the district. 
The chief’s eyes glistened, and a proud smile of ex- 
ultation gleamed over his face as we threw ourselves 
at full length on the clean mats spread for us. Our 
loquacious interpreter here began to describe a huge 
iron pot that was near the door, and to tell how wick- 
edly it had been appropriated to boil the carcases of 
slaughtered men instead of béche-de-mer ; thus confirm- 
ing the rumour which Macdonald had told in the Geo- 
graphical Society’s Journal. A rather unpleasant feeling 
stole over us, and we thought of friends and homes 
far away. Our peace of mind, however, was soon re- 
stored, when the chief proposed that we should join him 
in a bowl of kava, a beverage prepared from the root 
of the South Sea pepper, by being masticated by young 
men, and tasting like soapsuds, jalap, and magnesia! 
A baked pig and some half-dozen baskets of yams were 
next brought in by women, headed by the chief's 
favourite wife, all crawling on their hands and knees. 
Hungry as we were, the story of the big pot made us 
rather revolt from this frugal meal; but ascertaining 
that it was a real pig we beheld before us, we dined. 
It is a curious fact, that Fijian custom does not permit 
the host to partake of the meal which he provides for 
