it being set at liberty, the people were going away, when Towha
called them back and addressed them, recapitulating what had been said
to Otoo, condemning their present bad habits, and advising a reformation
in future. The gracefulness of action and the attention with which he
was heard showed that he was no mean orator. After this the marines
went through their exercises and loaded and fired in volleys, to the
utter amazement of the natives, especially to those who had seen nothing
of the kind before.

The next morning a small portion of the fleet of war canoes was observed
exercising, and Mr Hodges had the opportunity of sketching them. The
largest had about thirty rowers, the smaller only eighteen. The
warriors stood on the stage, and encouraged the rowers, or paddlers
rather, to exert themselves. Some youths were seated high up on the
carved stem above the steersman, with white wands in their hands,
apparently to look out and give notice of what they saw. The warriors
were completely equipped for war, and the quantity and weight of cloth
they had on them made it difficult to conceive how they could stand up
under it when fighting. A large quantity was wrapped round their heads
as turbans of helmets, to guard them from the blows of their enemies.
The turbans of some of the warriors were surmounted by small bunches of
shrubs covered with white feathers, intended as ornaments. On returning
to the shore all the rowers leaped out the moment the canoe touched the
ground, and, with the assistance of those on shore, hauled it up on the
beach. Each man then walked off with his paddle, and so rapidly was
everything done, that in less than five minutes there was no sign of the
canoes having been lately afloat. Afterwards, at the dockyard of King
Otoo, among many large canoes, two were seen in the course of building a
hundred and eight feet long. They were to be united so as to form one
double canoe; the largest, Cook says, he had seen in those seas.

On another occasion an example was given of the way the warriors, in
attacking a place, are thrown on shore. Four or more canoes were lashed
side by side, and then each division paddled in so judiciously that they
formed one unbroken line along the shore. To do this they were directed
by a man who stood in the fore part of the centre vessel, with a long
wand in his hand, directing all their movements. The fleet was attended
by some small double canoes, called marias.