r begging to be
allowed to introduce him to us, and receiving permission, he sent his
canoe ashore to bring him off. At the same time he gave orders to bring
on board his two favourites, a cock and a paroquet. While the canoe was
gone on this errand, I had time to regard the savage chief attentively.
He was a man of immense size, with massive but beautifully moulded limbs
and figure, only parts of which, the broad chest and muscular arms, were
uncovered; for, although the lower orders generally wore no other
clothing than a strip of cloth called _maro_ round their loins, the
chief, on particular occasions, wrapped his person in voluminous folds of
a species of native cloth made from the bark of the Chinese
paper-mulberry. Romata wore a magnificent black beard and moustache, and
his hair was frizzed out to such an extent that it resembled a large
turban, in which was stuck a long wooden pin! I afterwards found that
this pin served for scratching the head, for which purpose the fingers
were too short without disarranging the hair. But Romata put himself to
much greater inconvenience on account of his hair, for we found that he
slept with his head resting on a wooden pillow, in which was cut a hollow
for the neck, so that the hair of the sleeper might not be disarranged.

In ten minutes the canoe returned, bringing the other chief, who
certainly presented a most extraordinary appearance, having painted one
half of his face red and the other half yellow, besides ornamenting it
with various designs in black! Otherwise he was much the same in
appearance as Romata, though not so powerfully built. As this chief had
never seen a ship before, except, perchance, some of the petty traders
that at long intervals visit these remote islands, he was much taken up
with the neatness and beauty of all the fittings of the schooner. He was
particularly struck with a musket which was shown to him, and asked where
the white men got hatchets hard enough to cut the tree of which the
barrel was made! While he was thus engaged, his brother chief stood
aloof, talking with the captain, and fondling a superb cock and a little
blue-headed paroquet, the favourites of which I have before spoken. I
observed that all the other natives walked in a crouching posture while
in the presence of Romata. Before our guests left us, the captain
ordered the brass gun to be uncovered and fired for their gratification;
and I have every reason to believe he