206 
POLYNESIAN RESEAP.CHES. 
those among the adherents of the chief, by whom 
the party was to be entertained, who wished to 
engage, were accustomed to send a challenge 
previous to their arrival. If this, which was called 
tipaopao, had been the case when they entered 
the ring, they closed at once, without ceremony. 
But if no such arrangement had been made, the 
wrestlers of one party, or perhaps their champion, 
walked around and across the ring, having the left 
arm bent, with the hand on the breast; and gave 
the challenge by striking the right hand violently 
against the left, and the left against the side, which 
produced a loud hollow sound. The strokes on the 
arm were sometimes so violent, as not only to 
bruise the flesh, but to cause the blood to gush 
out. 
When the challenge was accepted, the anta¬ 
gonists closed, and the most intense interest was 
manifested by the parties to which they respec¬ 
tively belonged. Several were sometimes engaged 
at once, but more frequently only two. They 
grasped each other by the shoulders, and exerted 
all their strength and art, each to throw his rival; 
this was all that was requisite ; and although they 
generally grappled with each other, this was not 
necessary according to the rules of the game. 
Mape, a stout, and rather active, though not a 
large man, who was often in my house at Eimeo, 
was a famous wrestler. He was seen in the ring 
once, with a remarkably tall heavy man, who was 
his antagonist; they had grappled and separated, 
when Mape walked carelessly towards his rival, 
and on approaching him, instead of stretching out 
his arms as was expected, he ran the crown of his 
head with all his might against the temple of his 
antagonist, and laid him flat on the earth. 
