THROUGH HAWAII. 
385 
from the shore, in order to avoid the frequent and 
deep ravines, it is probable there were several villages 
which we did not see. 
About seven in the evening we reached Halaua, the 
residence of Miomioi, a friend and favourite of the late 
king Tamehameha. He gave us a hearty welcome, 
with the accustomed courtesy of a Hawaiian chief, 
saying, “ Our house is large, and there are plenty of 
sleeping mats for us.” The hospitality of the chiefs, 
both of the Society and Sandwich Islands, is always 
accompanied with a courtesy of behaviour peculiarly 
gratifying to those who are their guests, and indicating 
a degree of refinement seldom witnessed among uncivi¬ 
lized nations. The usual salutation is Aroha (attach 
ment,) or Aroha nui (attachment great;) and the cus¬ 
tomary invitation to partake of some refreshment is, 
“ The food (a kakou) belonging to you and us is ready; 
let us eat together;” always using the pronoun kakou , 
or kaua , which includes the person addressed, as well 
as the speaker. On entering a chiefs house, should 
we remark, Your’s is a strong or convenient house, he 
would answer, “ It is a good house for (or belonging to) 
you and me.” If, on entering a house, or examining a 
fine canoe or piece of cloth, we should ask who it 
belongs to, another person would tell us the possessor’s 
name ; but if we happened to inquire of the owner 
himself, he would invariably answer, “ It is yours and 
mine” The same desire to please is manifested in a 
variety of ways. The manner in which they frequently 
ask a favour of each other is singular, usually prefacing 
it with, “ I rea oe ,” If pleasing to you. Hence we often 
have a message or note to the following effect: “ If 
pleasing to you, I should like a sheet of writing paper 
3 D 
