FISHING-SPEAR. 
143 
The more daring of the young chiefs were generally 
among the foremost in pursuing the shark, or other 
dauntless fish; while others, more advanced in 
years, remained in their canoes at a distance, gra¬ 
tified to behold the sport, and share in some degree 
the excitement it produced. When the tautai or 
fishing party returned, the nets were hung up on 
the branches of trees near the shore, as they appear 
in the view of Fa-re harbour. Besides the her¬ 
ring, hand, and salmon nets, they had a number 
of others, adapted to particular places, or kinds of 
fish. 
Next to the net, the spear was most frequently 
used. It was variously formed, according to the 
purpose for which it was designed. Since their 
intercourse with foreigners, the best spears have 
been made with iron, barbed only on one side. 
Two or three small spear-heads were occasionally 
fastened to a single handle. Another kind of 
spear, in frequent use, was entirely of wood. Nine, 
ten, or twelve pointed pieces of hard wood, six or 
eight inches long, were fastened to a handle, from 
six to eight feet in length. When using this, they 
generally waded into the sea as high as the waist, 
and, standing near an opening between the rocks 
of coral, or near the shore, and watching the pas¬ 
sage of the fish, darted the spear, sometimes with 
one hand, but more frequently with both, and often 
struck them with great precision. 
Their aim with this spear, however, is much less 
certain than with one headed with iron ; which 
some throw with great dexterity, though others are 
exceedingly awkward. When fishing on the reefs, 
they often wear a kind of sandal, made of closely 
netted cords of the bark of the native auti, or 
cloth-plant. This was designed to preserve their 
