THE PELEW ISLANDS. 
327 
on enquiry, was afterwards explained to the Englijh , by the 
linguift, as being done to difcover if their arrival foreboded 
good or ill fortune.—It was noticed by feveral of our people, 
that the King recurred to this fuppofed oracle on different 
occafions, particularly at the time they went on the fecond ex¬ 
pedition againft Artingall, when he appeared to be very 
unwilling to go aboard his canoe, and kept all his attend¬ 
ants waiting, till he had tumbled and twilfed his leaves 
into a form that fatisfied his-mind, and predicted fuccefs. 
—Our people never obferved any perfon but the King ap¬ 
ply to this Divination. 
It is hardly probable but the fond anxiety of a parent, on 
giving up a fon into the hands of ftrangers, who were to 
convey him to remote regions, of which he could form to 
himfelf but very imperfect notions, would, on fo intereft- 
ing a point, induce him to examine his oracle with un¬ 
common attention; and it is as little to be doubted but 
that every thing wore, to his imagination, a profperous ap¬ 
pearance.—Yet, to evince the fallacy of his prophetic leaves, 
they certainly augured not the truth, nor prefented to the 
father’s mind even a fufpicion, that the fon he parted with 
he Ihould fee no more ! 
On this fubjedt, 1 would further wilh to bring back to the 
reader’s recolledlion a few occurrences already noticed 
As Raa Kook, and others of the natives, were two or three 
times prefent when Captain Wilson, on a Sunday evening, 
affembled his people to read prayers to them, they ex- 
2 preffecl 
