144 



SAMOAN GROUP. 



themselves in a line, and strive to throw these as far as possible ; the 

 party which succeeds in throwing fifty the farthest wins the game. 

 The usual distance to which they are thrown is about forty yards, 

 and one would conceive it almost impossible for them to be thrown so 

 far. A grand feast usually terminates the sport, which the losing 

 party pays for. 



" Lafe," is a game confined to the chiefs, who play it for pastime. 

 Four persons sit at the corners of a mat, ten or twelve feet long, in 

 whose centre is placed another of ten inches square ; the persons at 

 opposite corners are partners ; each party is provided with five circular 

 pieces of cocoa-nut shells, from two inches in diameter to half a cocoa- 

 nut. The first player lays his smallest piece on the little mat, and 

 his opponent tries to knock it off, and leave his own in its place. 

 Each in his turn endeavours to knock their opponent's pieces off. 

 The party which first succeeds in knocking its opponent's pieces off 

 one hundred times, wins the game. The pieces of cocoa-nut are 

 finely polished and carved with a variety of devices. 



Sham club-fights and wrestling-matches are common, and fre- 

 quently end in broken heads, limbs, and teeth knocked out. 



^fes^^HiS^ig 





.- - „ - 







An odd amusement of the natives was seen in the forest, in one of 

 the clearings near one of the heathen villages, and at a short distance 

 from Apia, (the vignette gives a good idea of it.) A fine large tree 



