THROUGH HAWAII. 
91 
whole exhibition. A servant, with a light Icihei of 
painted native cloth thrown over his shoulder, stood 
behind his chair, holding a highly polished spittoon, 
made of the beautifully brown wood of the cordia in 
one hand, and in the other a handsome Jcahiri, an 
elastic rod, three or four feet long, having the shining 
feathers of the tropic-bird tastefully fastened round 
the upper end, with which he fanned away the flies 
from the person of his master. 
The beach was crowded with spectators, and the ex¬ 
hibition kept up with great spirit, till the overspread¬ 
ing shades of evening put an end to their mirth, and 
afforded a respite to the poor children, whose little 
limbs must have been very much fatigued by two hours 
of constant exercise. We were anxious to address the 
multitude on the subject of religion before they should 
disperse; but so intent were they on their amusement, 
that they could not have been diverted from it. I suc¬ 
ceeded, however, in taking a sketch of the novel as¬ 
semblage, in which, a youth, who had climbed a high 
pole, (that, looking over the heads of the throng who 
surrounded the dancers, he might witness the scene,) 
formed a conspicuous object. 
A messenger now invited us to sup with the go¬ 
vernor, and we soon after joined him and his friends 
around his hospitable board. Our repast was not ac¬ 
companied by the gladsome sound of “ harp in hall” 
or “ aged minstrefls flowing lay,” yet it was enlivened 
by an interesting youthful bard, twelve or fourteen 
years of age, who was seated on the ground in the 
large room in which we were assembled, and who, 
during the supper, sung, in a monotonous but pleasing 
strain, the deeds of former chiefs, ancestors of our 
