t Tinor--like any other tidy housewife, having
come across them in some of her domestic occupations--had pitched the
useless things out of the house. But I was soon undeceived.

One day I observed old Marheyo bustling about me with unusual activity,
and to such a degree as almost to supersede Kory-Kory in the functions of
his office. One moment he volunteered to trot off with me on his back to
the stream; and when I refused, noways daunted by the repulse, he
continued to frisk about me like a superannuated house-dog. I could not
for the life of me conjecture what possessed the old gentleman, until all
at once, availing himself of the temporary absence of the household, he
went through a variety of uncouth gestures, pointing eagerly down to my
feet, and then up to a little bundle which swung from the ridge-pole
overhead. At last I caught a faint idea of his meaning, and motioned him
to lower the package. He executed the order in the twinkling of an eye,
and unrolling a piece of tappa, displayed to my astonished gaze the
identical pumps which I thought had been destroyed long before.

I immediately comprehended his desire, and very generously gave him the
shoes, which had become quite mouldy, wondering for what earthly purpose
he could want them.

The same afternoon I descried the venerable warrior approaching the house,
with a slow, stately gait, earrings in ears, and spear in hand, with this
highly ornamental pair of shoes suspended from his neck by a strip of
bark, and swinging backwards and forwards on his capacious chest. In the
gala costume of the tasteful Marheyo, these calf-skin pendants ever after
formed the most striking feature.

But to turn to something a little more important. Although the whole
existence of the inhabitants of the valley seemed to pass away exempt from
toil, yet there were some light employments which, although amusing rather
than labourious as occupations, contributed to their comfort and luxury.
Among these, the most important was the manufacture of the native
cloth--"tappa"--so well known, under various modifications, throughout the
whole Polynesian Archipelago. As is generally understood, this useful and
sometimes elegant article is fabricated from the bark of different trees.
But, as I believe that no description of its manufacture has ever been
given, I shall state what I know regarding it.

In the manufacture of the beautiful white tappa generally worn on the
Marquesan Islands, the