the rongo's house. 53 



accumulated dark masses of clouds that then sud- 

 denly spread over the plains and gave us a heavy 

 thunder-shower for an hour and a half. It was 

 now just about the change of the monsoon, which 

 was beginning to blow from the westward along the 

 southern coast, and almost every afternoon from 

 this time we had very heavy rains between two and 

 six o'clock, with thunder and lightning, all the 

 rest of the twenty-four hours being most lovely 

 weather. At five in the afternoon the rain having 

 ceased, we walked down, according to promise, to 

 call upon the Rongo at his own house. He lived 

 on the north side of the square, having a small 

 pandopo on the green before his gate, beneath a 

 row of noble " waringen" trees. As soon as we 

 shewed ourselves on the green, his native band, 

 who were seated in the pandopo, struck up a tune 

 of welcome called " Rajah datang," or " The Rajah 

 is coming," which seems always to be used on 

 occasions of ceremony. Entering the gate we found 

 a large court-yard, not very well kept, in which was 

 a good sized pandopo, and behind it the house, 

 which was small, and constructed entirely of bamboo. 

 He received us in the pandopo, and offered us tea, 

 fruit, and cakes. On one side of the pandopo were 

 eleven large spears standing in a rack, being the 

 number of his guard as he informed us. Near 

 them were two great chests, which he told us 

 contained 5,000 rupees in copper, being the amount 

 of land-tax which he has to collect and transmit 



