The Tia Kau . 
35 
jaws of the bonito, whose way across the sea is 
marked by a wide streak of bubbling, hissing 
foam ! 
Meanwhile, as the canoes fly in pursuit, one 
man in each busies himself by hurriedly pre¬ 
paring his fellows’ tackle, which is both for rod 
and deep-sea fishing. Lying side by side upon 
the ama , or outrigger grating, are four rods. 
And such rods! twelve to fourteen feet in one 
piece, eight inches in circumference at the base, 
and tapering to an inch at the point. But big 
and clumsy as they look, they are light, tough, 
and springy. The line is of two-stranded fau 
(hibiscus bark), and is not quite as long as the 
rod itself; the shank of the hook is of pearl- 
shell, gleaming and iridescent as polished opal, 
and the upward curving piece that forms the 
barbless point is cunningly lashed to the heel of 
the shank with fine banana fibre. In length 
these hooks range from one to three inches, and 
at the lashing of the point and shank are two 
tiny scarlet feathers of the parrokeet. Lying 
beside the rods are the thick, neatly curled 
lines for deep-sea work. But just now these 
are not wanted. 
And as the canoes draw near the whirling, 
