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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF 
order to escape from the pursuit of the victors. An instance of this 
kind was related by Kirby, that occurred about ten years before his 
arrival. While the king of Apamama was on a visit to Kuria, one of 
the principal chiefs in Apamama rebelled against him, gained over 
many of his subjects, and obtained full possession of the island; 
numbers, however, remained faithful, and fled to Kuria to join the king, 
who immediately began to collect his warriors from the two smaller 
islands, and prepared himself for making a descent upon Apamama. It 
was winter before he was fully ready, and owing to the irregularity 
and uncertainty of the winds and weather at that season, he was 
obliged to postpone his expedition for several months. He finally 
embarked, with his whole army, and landed upon the north end of 
Apamama, where a great number flocked to his standard. The rebels, 
finding themselves too weak to maintain a contest, fled towards the 
south end of the island. Here they prepared their canoes, and when 
the king, with his army, drew near, they took their wives and children, 
and put to sea. They proceeded first to Kuria, where they were mis¬ 
taken, as they approached, for the warriors of the island returning; and 
the old men, women, and children, crowded to the shore to meet them, 
and welcome their relatives back; but they were suddenly surrounded 
by their enemies, maddened by defeat, who destroyed them all without 
mercy, and laid waste the whole island. In a few days afterwards the 
Kurians were seen returning, when the rebels again took refuge in 
flight, leaving the island to be again possessed by its owners, but with 
every thing destroyed. Some of the fugitives reached other islands in 
safety, others were picked up by whale-ships, but the greater part were 
never heard of again. The chief reached Taputeouea, or Drummond’s 
Island, where he is said to be still living. 
Wood also relates, that about eight years prior to his being taken 
on board, a fleet of canoes, containing fifteen hundred persons, arrived 
at Makin, from Apia, whence they had been driven by the warriors 
of Tarawa. At Makin they were hospitably received and entertained, 
until it was discovered that a plot was concocting among them for 
conquering the island, upon which the inhabitants fell upon them, and 
massacred nearly the whole. 
They sometimes, though but seldom, engage in other warlike under¬ 
takings, when the warriors of one island will set out with a large fleet 
to attack another. In these expeditions they rarely go to any island 
to windward of them, on account of the uncertainty of the voyage when 
the southeast wind blows, and also in consequence of the sea-sickness 
produced by the motion of their canoes, which renders them unfit to 
fight. When this happens, their adversaries, if they get information of 
