THE ARTS OF THE CLUB. 13 
The rules of the club match hold with little change upon the stricken 
field. Of course, in the general mellay blows are given and taken as 
best they may, but when the champions of opposing armies have 
issued the challenge Polynesian formal dignity may be relied upon to 
see that the combat proceeds in order. 
First comes the challenge (Samoan: ol7, to brandish the club, to 
wave it to and fro with the head upward, or vilivilz, to advance the 
weapon toward the enemy with the head slightly declined and to cause 
it to rotate by striking light downward blows through a few inches 
upon the left hand, which at the moment of impact is sharply dragged 
over the middle of the shaft; Futuna: kazlao, to brandish in wide sweeps 
of the weapon; Tonga: ene and taene, to dart the club toward the foe 
in quick and short movements; Fiji: mbolembole, to smash the head 
of the club heavily upon the ground of battle, and sakita, to swing the club 
in long downward sweeps over the soil, as in act of brushing away 
irregularities of the ground of other obstruction as having no value). 
The challenge thus delivered is similarly accepted (Samoa: sema). 
Next comes the parade at arms as the contestants stride gravely to the 
clear space between their respective war parties (Samoa: matamalae, 
to eye the fighting green, the look of defiance, the fighting face; pomalae, 
a still more gloomy glower, literally darkness upon the fighting green). 
Next the seconds take their place (Samoa: nafa), each to the left 
of and slightly to the rear of his principal’s opponent; their purpose is 
obscure; by reason of their position they can not engage in a secondary 
contest after the earlier French and Italian escrime; they can not well 
participate in the principal combat, for as soon as they come within 
the sphere of action they expose themselves to the end of any blow 
delivered at their respective principals. 
Next follows the placing of the principals (Samoa: fefulitua) back to 
~ back, each facing his own party to receive the salute of clubs raised in 
air (Fiji: ndulaka), after which they whirl suddenly, leap back to 
position, and the fight is on. 
Details of the combat may readily be extracted from the vocabulary 
material, but for simplicity of statement it is better to record such art 
of the game as has been observed. 
With such heavy, to us extremely unwieldy, weapons the stance is 
of the utmost importance, and the object of each fighter as soon as he 
comes within reach of his opponent is to dig footholds, the left foot 
forward, and much of the chance of success in the combat rests in the 
fortune of being able to establish oneself firmly. The skilled fencer 
will not leave his foothold, if satisfactory at the beginning, until his 
adversary is disabled or gives ground (Samoa: tolopa‘a). 
Extreme simplicity characterizes the art of the club; a blow is deliv- 
ered and with luck is parried; there is no coup de Jarnac, no botte de 
jésuite, whereby to take advantage of the contestant whose guard is 
