THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
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341 
that they fhould fee as little as poflible ; for the fences had 
not only been repaired that morning, but, in many places, 
raifed higher than common ; fo that the tailed: man could 
not look over them. To remedy this defeat in our ftation, 
we took the liberty to cut holes in the fence, with our 
knives; and, by this" means, we could fee, pretty diftindtly, 
every thing that was tranfadting on the other fide. 
On our arrival at our ftation, we found two or three 
hundred people, fitting on the grafs, near the end of the 
road that opened into the area of the moral ; and the num¬ 
ber continually increafed, by others joining them. At length, 
arrived a few men carrying fome fmall poles, and branches 
or leaves of the cocoa-nut tree; and, upon their firft ap¬ 
pearance, an old man feated himfelf in the road, and, with 
his face toward them, pronounced a long oration in a feri- 
ous tone. He then retired back, and the others advancing 
to the middle of the area, began to ere£t a fmall fhed ; em¬ 
ploying, for that purpofe, the materials above-mentioned. 
When they had finiflied their work, they all fquatted down, 
for a moment, before it, then rofe up, and retired to the reft 
of the company. Soon after, came Poulaho’s fon, preceded 
by four or five men, and they feated themfelves- a little afide 
from the fhed, and rather behind it. After them, appeared 
twelve or fourteen women of the firft rank, walking llowly 
in pairs, each pair carrying between them a narrow piece 
of white cloth extended, about two or three yards in length. 
Thefe marched up to the prince, fquatted down before him; 
and, having wrapped fome of the pieces of the cloth they 
had brought, round his body, they rofe up, and retired in 
the fame order, to fome diftance on his left, and there feated 
themfelves. Pouiaho himfelf foon made his appearance^ 
preceded by four men, who walked two and two abreaft, 
and 
