70 T U T U I L A. 



Eight of these men had deserted from an English whaler, whose 

 boat they had stolen. Three of them came alongside of us next 

 day, clad after the manner of the natives, and were very anxious to 

 be taken off the island. 



The canoes of these islanders were the best we had seen. They 

 are built of a log, having upon it pieces fastened together, to raise 

 them sufficiently high. They are thirty or forty feet long, and are 

 partly covered in at both ends. Some of them are capable of con- 

 taming twenty or twenty-five men, and are very swift. The chief 

 usually sits cross-legged on the forward platform or deck. They 

 have an out-rigger which is not so far removed from the canoe, and 

 renders them more liable to be upset. 



Several of the natives came on board. They were a finely-formed 

 race, and appeared lively and well-disposed, though in a much 

 wilder state than those of the Society Islands. 



Our party, on landing, were immediately surrounded with natives 

 willing to trade, and calling out for "bacca," (tobacco,) which is in 

 great request among them. Fish-hooks were also much sought for. 

 A fowl, a bunch of bamboos, and a dozen of cocoa-nuts were pro- 

 cured for a small one. 



They seemed willing to exchange any thing they had, viz., baskets, 

 mats, spears, clubs, &c, to obtain these articles. They were not 

 found altogether honest, though this did not consist in stealing, but in 

 selling their articles twice over ; for after we had made a purchase 

 from one, another would claim the article as belonging to himself, 

 and insist on also receiving a price for it. 



Near the village are thick stone walls, intended to all appearances 

 for defence. The houses are elliptical, supported on stout posts about 

 four feet high, from which the roof or thatching rises to the height 

 of twelve or fifteen feet; they are generally erected on a raised terrace 

 of stone, two feet above the ground. The floors are covered with 

 coarse matting. 



The king or chief of these islands, resides at Oloosinga, in conse- 

 quence of its being more easily defended. 



The dress of the natives consists only of the maro, made of the 

 leaves of the Dracaena, which has a graceful appearance. The leaves 

 are slit, and form a kind of short petticoat. 



The tattooing is of the same kind, as will be described in the 

 general account of the Samoan Islands. 



