accompanied by the leading citizens. The talking-man then makes a
speech, welcoming the guests, and is by no means sparing of "buttery"
phrases which indicate the intense delight, &c., of the inhabitants of
the village at having the honoured privilege of entertaining such noble
and distinguished visitors, &c. A suitable reply is made by the guests
(through an interpreter, if no one among them can speak Samoan), and
then follows a ceremonious brewing and drinking of kava. This is a most
important function in Samoa, and to the stranger unaccustomed to the
manner of making the beverage, the ordeal of drinking it is an
exceedingly trying one. It is prepared as follows: The dried kava root
is cut up in thin slices and handed to a number of young women, who
masticate it and then deposit it in a large wooden _tanoa_, or bowl.
Water is then added in sufficient quantity till the _tanoa_ is
half-filled with a thin yellowish-green liquid, which is carefully
strained by a thick "swab" of the beaten bark of the _fau_-tree. This
straining operation is performed only by a very experienced lady, and is
watched in respectful silence. Then the drink is handed round in a
polished bowl of coconut-shell. But for a full description of all the
details of a kava-drinking, let me commend my readers to the best and
most charming book ever written on South Sea life, "South Sea Bubbles,"
by the late Earl of Pembroke and Dr. Kingsley. Nowadays, however, many
Samoan households, out of deference to European tastes, have the kava
root grated instead of being chewed.

The kava-drinking over, all stiffness and formality disappears for the
time, and the visitors are surrounded by the villagers, eager to learn
the latest news from Apia, and from the world abroad. The discussion of
political matters always has a strong attraction for Samoans, who are
anxious to learn the state of affairs in Europe, and their knowledge and
shrewdness is surprising. Should there be any white ladies present, the
brown ones make much of them. The Samoans are a fine, handsome race, and
the faces and figures of many of the young women are very attractive;
but the practice of cutting off their long, flowing black hair, and
allowing it to grow in a short, stiff "frizz" is all too common, and
detracts very much from an otherwise handsome and graceful appearance,
especially when the hair is coated with lime in order to change its
colour to red. Many of the men, particularly those of