if poflible. With this view, I hole out from the planta¬ 
tion, and walked toward the moral , the fcene of the folem- 
nity. I was, feveral times, delired to go back, by people 
whom I met; but I paid no regard to them ; and they buf¬ 
fered me to pafs on. When I arrived at the morale I found 
a number of men feated on the lide of the area, on each 
fide of the road that leads up to it. A few were fitting on 
the oppofite fide of the area ; and two men in the middle of 
it, with their faces turned to the moral. When I got into 
the midft of the firft company, I was defired to fit down ; 
which I accordingly did. Where I fat, there were lying a 
number of fmall bundles or parcels, compofed of cocoa-nut 
leaves, and tied to flicks made into the form of hand- 
barrows. All the information I could get about them was, 
that they were taboo. Our number kept continually in- 
creafing; every one coming from the fame quarter. From 
time to time, one or another of the company turned him- 
felf to thofe who were coming to join us, and made a 
fhort fpeech; in which I could remark that the word 
arekee , that is King, was generally mentioned. One man 
faid fomething that produced burfts of hearty laughter 
from all the crowd; others, of the fpeakers, met with 
public applaufe. I was, feveral times, defired to leave the 
place ; and, at laid, when they found that I would not ftir, 
after l'ome feeming confutation, they applied to me to 
uncover my fhoulders as theirs were. With this requefi: 
I complied ; and then they feemed to be no longer uneafy 
^at my prefence. 
I fat a full hour, without any thing more going forward, 
befide what I have mentioned. At length the prince, the 
women, and the king, all came in, as they had done the day 
before. The prince, being placed under the fhed, after 
his 
