350 FEEJEE GROUP. 



related the circumstances to his friends. In the course of a few days 

 several large double canoes arrived at Levuka from Ambau, and some 

 of the people proceeded to David Whippy's house, informing him that 

 they had come to be bled, and that there were a number with them 

 on the same errand. Whippy endeavoured to dissuade them, as 

 they were all stout-looking fellows. He told them it would do them 

 more harm than good, and that they did not require it; but all he 

 could say was of no avail ; they had come from Ambau to be bled, 

 and bled they would be. Finding all his remonstrances fruitless, the 

 old sheath-knife was again put into requisition, and the next morning 

 the one hundred and fifty Ambau men returned to Ambau, having 

 each left behind him a tin pot of blood. Many of the natives, since 

 then, have become bleeders, but occasionally a canoe still arrives 

 from Ambau, with subjects to undergo the operation by Whippy. 



While young, both sexes indulge in a variety of amusements. 

 Among the girls, the sports are : vimoli, which is a species of legerde- 

 main performed by keeping five or six oranges circling around the head ; 

 garali, similar to our hide and seek ; libigilla, or forfeits, in which 

 there are two parties, one of which wraps a girl in a mat, and carries 

 her to the other, who is to guess her name ; if the guess be not cor- 

 rect, yams and taro must be paid for a treat. Meke (dancing) is also a 

 favourite amusement. For instruction in this there are regular 

 dancing-masters and mistresses, who are much esteemed, and receive 

 high prices for their services. Those who can invent new figures are 

 most in request. The performers in the common dance (nuka i ndina) 

 are generally girls, from ten to fifteen years of age. These arrange 

 themselves in a line, in a place selected for the purpose, which is 

 usually a green in the village. One of them acts as leader, and 

 stands in the middle of the line, a little in advance of the rest. The 

 feet of the performers are seldom moved from the place, and the dance 

 consists altogether of movements of the body, bowing, twisting, writh- 

 ing, from side to side, and backwards or forwards. All join in a song, 

 and, towards the close, arrange themselves in a semicircle, when the 

 dance is brought to a conclusion by a simultaneous clap of the hands. 



The boys have a game which is played with sticks. One is set in 

 the ground, and another, sharpened at the point, is thrown at it ; the 

 first person who succeeds in striking it, wins. They have also the 

 game of hide and seek, and another called vitaki, which consists in 

 throwing a stick from a hollow reed. He who throws farthest is the 

 winner. Men of two different towns also play this game in parties. 



