THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
349 
I now faw that the prince had turned his face to the moral . i 7 j 
But this laft movement had brought fo many people be- , ^ ul 
tween him and me, that I could not perceive what was 
doing. I was afterward allured, that, at this very time, the 
prince was admitted to the high honour of eating with his 
father ; which, till now, had never been permitted to him; 
a piece of roafted yam being prefented to each of them for 
this purpofe. This was the more probable, as we had been 
told, before-hand, that this was to happen during the fo- 
lemnity; and as all the people turned their backs to them, 
at this time, which they always do when their monarch- 
eats. 
After fome little time, we all faced about, and formed a 
femicircle before the prince, leaving a large open fpace be¬ 
tween us. Prefently there appeared fome men coming to¬ 
ward us, two and two, bearing large hicks, or poles, upon 
their Ihoulders, making a noife that might be called ring¬ 
ing, and waving their hands as they advanced. When they 
had got clofe up to us, they made a fhew of walking very 
fah, without proceeding a fmgle hep. Immediately after, 
three or four men harted up from the crowd, with large 
hicks in their hands, whio ran toward thofe new-comers. 
The latter inftantly threw down the poles from their Ihoul¬ 
ders, and fcampered off; and the others attacked the poles ; 
and, having beat them moh unmercifully, returned to their 
places. As the pole-bearers ran off, they gave the challenge 
that is ufual here in wrehling; and, not long after, a num¬ 
ber of hout fellows came from the fame quarter, repeating 
the challenge as they advanced. Thefe were oppofed by a 
party, who came from the oppofite hde almoh at the fame 
inftant. The two parties paraded about the area for a few 
minutes, and then retired, each to their own tide. After 
this* 
