34 ° 
A VOYAGE TO 
y??. the king’s plantation, I repaired thither, very much to the 
fatisfacftion of thofe who attended me. 
As loon as I got in, I acquainted the gentlemen who had 
come with me from the fhips, with what I had feen; and 
we took a proper ftation, to watch the refult. The num¬ 
ber of people, at the fiatooka , continued to increafe for fome 
time; and, at length, we could fee them quit their fitting 
poflure, and march off in proceflion. They walked in pairs, 
one after another, every pair carrying, between them, one 
of the fmall poles above-mentioned, on their fhoulders. 
We were told, that the fmall pieces of flicks, fattened to the 
poles, were yams; fo that, probably, they were meant to 
reprefent this root emblematically. The hindmoft man of 
each couple, for the moft part, placed one of his hands to 
the middle of the pole, as if, without this additional fup- 
port, it were not ftrong enough to carry the weight that 
hung to it, and under which they all feemed to bend, as 
they walked. This proceflion confifted of one hundred and 
eight pairs, and all, or moft of them, men of rank. They 
came clofe by the fence behind which we flood; fo that we 
had a full view of them. 
Having waited here, till they had all patted, we then re¬ 
paired to Poulaho’s houfe, and faw him going out. We 
could not be allowed to follow him; but were, forthwith, 
conducted to the place allotted to us, which was behind a 
fence, adjoining to the area of the fiatooka where the yams 
had been depofited in the forenoon. As we were not the 
only people who were excluded from being publicly prefent 
at this ceremony, but allowed to peep from behind the cur¬ 
tain, we had a good deal of company; and I obferved, that 
all the other inclofures, round the place, were filled with 
people. And, yet, all imaginable care feemed to be taken, 
that 
