286 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
the events^ or scenes described _5 and assumed in this 
respect a histrionic character. In some cases^ and on 
public occasions^ the action presented a kind of panto- 
mime. They had one song for the fisherman^ another 
for the canoe-builder^ a song for cutting down the tree^ 
a song for launching the canoe. But they were^ with 
few exceptions^ either idolatrous or impure; and were^ 
consequently^ abandoned when the people renounced 
their pagan worship. Occasionally^ however, we heard 
parts of these songs recited, when events have occur¬ 
red similar to those on which, in former times, they 
would have been used. 
Their traditionary ballads were a kind of standard, or 
classical authority, to which they referred, for the 
purpose of determining any disputed fact in their 
history. The fidelity of public recitals referring to 
former events, was sometimes questioned by the orators 
or chroniclers of the party opposed to that by whom the 
recital had been made. The disputes which followed, 
were often carried on with great pertinacity and deter¬ 
mination. As they had no records to which they could 
at such times refer, they could only oppose one oral tra¬ 
dition to another, which unavoidably involved the 
parties in protracted, and often obstinate debates. At 
such times, a reference to some distich, in any of their 
popular and historic songs, often set the matter in dis¬ 
pute at rest. On a recent occasion, two parties were 
disputing in reference to an event which occurred in 
the bay of Papara during the time Captain Bligh 
remained there in the Bounty, in 1788 or 1789. The 
fact questioned was the loss of the buoy of his anchor: 
after disputing it for some time without convincing his 
opponent, the individual who had stated the fact re- 
