94 UPOLU — MANONO — SAVAII. 



children around him. I found him in a small house, enjoying the 

 afternoon breeze, with his daughter playing about him. She was 

 about fifteen years of age, and decidedly the prettiest girl we had seen 

 in this group ; her name was Emma, and she was as intelligent as she 

 was pretty. 



The chief, whose hair was white with age, made us warmly wel- 

 come, and wished to go over to his fale-tele to receive us as became 

 chiefs, but this I would not permit. His wives busied themselves in 

 getting things in order, very much after the fashion of other parts of 

 the world, when a stranger arrives unexpectedly. In a few minutes 

 the fine mats were laid, the stools, calabashes, and straw put away. 

 A clean shirt was slipped over the old man's head while my attention 

 was called off to another object. 



Malietoa's house was not larger than the others in the village, and 

 exhibited no other difference from them than in containing a dais or 

 platform, occupying about a third of it, and raised about a foot higher 

 than the rest of the floor. 



When the domestic arrangements were completed, large bunches 

 of bananas and fresh cocoa-nuts were brought in and presented to us. 

 Mr. Wilson was an excellent interpreter, and by his aid I had a long 

 and agreeable talk with the old chief, who, when his wars were 

 touched upon, appeared full of fire and animation. 



I intimated my desire to have a conference with the ruling chiefs, for 

 the purpose of transacting business, whereupon he readily assented to 

 call a fono, and appointed the 4th of November as the earliest day on 

 which he could possibly get the chiefs, a part of whom must come from 

 Savaii, together. This day he named himself, after having made a 

 reckoning of the six intervening days upon his fingers ; I observed, 

 however, that he found it necessary to repeat the count several times. 

 Having transacted this business with him, and regaled ourselves on his 

 hospitable fare, we took our leave. 



On reaching the Peacock, I found that none of her surveying parties 

 had returned, and the Flying-Fish was still missing ; I thus became 

 satisfied that I should be detained here for several days. I therefore 

 sent orders for the Vincennes to make for the harbour, where she 

 anchored in the afternoon, near the Peacock. 



The next day, parties were despatched in various directions, so as 

 to bring all parts of the island under examination at the same time. 



One of these excursions was made across the island. On arriving at 

 the highest point of the ridge, between Siuma and Siusinga, which has 

 an elevation of two thousand and fifty feet, and just before the descent 

 began, a clearing was found, in which were two mounds of earth, each 



