edrooms for the night, when some
native girls called my attention and pointed out to sea. A number of
canoes were to be seen coming round the point at the mouth of the
harbor, and as they came nearer we could hear the oarsmen singing and
could distinguish our names. They were bringing--so they sang--the
fish to Tamaitai Aolele--they had been out all night gathering turtles
for Tamaitai Teuila.

"Later in the day there was a grand _talolo_, or ceremony of gift
giving. My mother, as guest of honor, sat just inside the guest house,
on a pile of mats, with the rest of us in a semi-circle around her,
all facing the sea. There was a hum and buzz of excitement in the
village, and we could catch glimpses of fine headdresses and old women
scurrying about with mats and flowers. Soon the procession appeared,
led by the _manaia_ in full costume, dancing and twirling his head
knife, and accompanied by several young men. After them came others
bearing gifts hung from poles. Laulii, as our 'talking man,' received
them, and our servants, in a little group, made up a fine chorus. The
_manaia_ and his young men came up, danced in front of us, and then,
taking the poles from their attendants, laid three large turtles
before us, calling out that they were a humble offering from the men
of Vaiee to the great and glorious and beautiful lady of Vailima.
Laulii received them, to my surprise, with jeering remarks that threw
everybody into fits of laughter, evidently quite the correct thing to
do. The next people brought a huge fish, nets of crabs, strings of
brightly coloured fish, and sharks' fins.

"Seeing that one of the young men had a rag tied round his thumb, I
asked him if he had hurt his hand. He replied that when he dived for
the turtle it caught him by the thumb, and if his friends hadn't gone
to his aid he might have drowned. He told it as though it would have
been a great joke on him. We were all pretty well acquainted by this
time, and everybody threw in remarks. Then our boys removed the
presents, chose what we would take with us--only a small portion--and
the rest was returned to the village for the feast. On state occasions
the men are the cooks, and there is one dish that is only to be
prepared by the _manaia_--who has to array himself in full war paint
to serve it--and a grand dish it is, composed of breadfruit dumplings
stewed in cocoanut cream in a wooden bowl by means of hot stones
dropped in. The dumplings are served in