he prince was
admitted to the high honour of eating with his father, which, till now,
had never been permitted to him; a piece of roasted yam being presented
to each of them for this purpose; This was the more probable, as we had
been told before-hand, that this was to happen during the solemnity, and
as all the people turned their backs to them at this time, which they
always do when their monarch eats.

After some little time, we all faced about, and formed a semicircle
before the prince, leaving a large open space between us. Presently
there appeared some men coming toward us, two and two, bearing large
sticks or poles upon their shoulders, making a noise that might be
called singing, and waving their hands as they advanced. When they had
got close up to us, they made a shew of walking very fast, without
proceeding a single step. Immediately after, three or four men started
up from the crowd, with large sticks in their hands, who ran toward
those newcomers. The latter instantly threw down the poles from their
shoulders, and scampered off; and the others attacked the poles, and,
having beat them most unmercifully, returned to their places. As the
pole-bearers ran off, they gave the challenge that is usual here in
wrestling; and, not long after, a number of stout fellows came from the
same quarter, repeating the challenge as they advanced. These were
opposed by a party who came from the opposite side almost at the same
instant. The two parties paraded about the area for a few minutes, and
then retired, each to their own side. After this, there were wrestling
and boxing-matches for about half an hour. Then two men seated
themselves before the prince, and made speeches, addressed, as I
thought, entirely to him. With this the solemnity ended, and the whole
assembly broke up.

I now went and examined the several baskets which had been presented; a
curiosity that I was not allowed before to indulge, because every thing
was then _taboo_. But the solemnity being now over, they became simply
what I found them to be, empty baskets. So that, whatever they were
supposed to contain, was emblematically represented. And so, indeed, was
every other thing which had been brought in procession, except the fish.

We endeavoured in vain to find out the meaning, not only of the ceremony
in general, which is called _Natche_, but of its different parts. We
seldom got any other answer to our enquiries, but _taboo_, a word which,
I have bef