T U T U I L A. 67 



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 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 

 w r ere 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 

 wooden trays were brought in, filled with cooked bread-fruit and 

 covered over with leaves. One of these was placed before me, when 

 the king made a long speech, giving me welcome and offering food to 

 eat. I was then desired to hand some to the king and his brother, and 

 to others who were pointed out to me. This I did, but unfortunately 

 continued my task, and handed it to one of the Kanakas, or common 

 people, who were sitting close around us; much displeasure was 

 evinced, accompanied with angry looks. I now looked around for 

 my men, but they were out of sight, on their return to the boat. In 

 order to make the best of my situation, I asked what was meant, and 

 feigned to be quite ignorant of having given any offence. After a 



