TUTUILA. 71 



These islands furnish pigs, fowls, sweet-potatoes, fruit, and some 

 taro. The vegetation was thought to he more luxuriant than at 

 Tahiti, and the climate moister. 



Many running streams were observed coursing down the sides of 

 the island. When off the eastern end, we were much surprised to 

 see the natives plunge off the rocks into the heavy surf to reach our 

 boats. 



After our party reached the ship, we made sail for Oloosinga, 

 where I went on shore to see the king or chief, who was old and 

 decrepit. His name is Lalelah. His brother, and presumptive 

 successor, was with him, and met me as I landed from the boat. His 

 mode of salutation was by taking my hand and rubbing the back of 

 it against his nose. 



The old man, I was told by the interpreter, could speak a little 

 English, but I could not understand him. This he attributed to his 

 age, and would not admit that it was owing to his ignorance of the 

 language. They led the way to his hut, situated under a mural 

 precipice about twelve hundred feet in height. 



The island of Oloosinga is a narrow ledge of rocks, rising nearly 

 perpendicular on both sides, and is three miles in length. So preci- 

 pitous is it at its ends, that it is impossible to pass around it on the 

 rocks. The strip of land is about five hundred yards in width, on 

 which bread-fruits and cocoa-nuts grow in great profusion and suffi- 

 cient abundance for all the wants of the natives. They told me that 

 this island had been chosen as a place of safety, since the other 

 became unsettled in consequence of the wars of the Christian and 

 Devil's parties ; and that the island of Manua had formerly been the 

 residence of the king, but that he found himself unsafe there, and 

 had taken up his abode at Oloosinga, on its northwestern side. 



His house was elliptical in form, and thirty feet long, erected on a 

 well-flagged terrace of stone, about four feet above the ground. It 

 was well shaded with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, and was 

 supported around by ten stout posts, with three others in the centre 

 reaching the top. The roof came down within three and a half feet 

 of the ground, and projected as eaves about eighteen inches or two 

 feet. In the centre the hut was fifteen feet high and well thatched. 



The whole floor was ordered to be spread with fine mats, which 

 were carefully unrolled, and laid over the coarser ones on the floor. 

 The king then seated himself in the centre, and desired me to take a 

 seat between himself and brother. Shortly afterwards two large 



