his man conducted us to the
chief, while the people shouted round us, _Taio Tootahah_, "Tootahah is
your friend." We found him, like an ancient patriarch, sitting under a
tree, with a number of venerable old men standing-round him; he made a
sign to us to sit down, and immediately asked for his axe: This I
presented to him, with an upper garment of broad cloth, made after the
country fashion, and trimmed with tape, to which I also added a shirt:
He received them with great satisfaction, and immediately put on the
garment; but the shirt he gave to the person who had cleared the way for
us upon our landing, who was now seated by us, and of whom he seemed
desirous that we should take particular notice. In a short time, Oberea,
and several other women whom we knew, came and sat down among us:
Tootahah left us several times, but after a short absence returned; we
thought it had been to shew himself in his new finery to the people, but
we wronged him, for it was to give directions for our refreshment and
entertainment. While we were waiting for his return the last time he
left us, very impatient to be dismissed, as we were almost suffocated in
the crowd, word was brought us, that he expected us elsewhere; We found
him sitting under the awning of our own boat, and making signs that we
should come to him: As many of us therefore went on board as the boat
would hold, and he then ordered bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts to be
brought, of both which we tasted, rather to gratify him than because we
had a desire to eat. A message was soon after brought him, upon which he
went out of the boat, and we were in a short time desired to follow. We
were conducted to a large area or court-yard, which was railed round
with bamboos about three feet high, on one side of his house, where an
entertainment was provided for us, entirely new: This was a
wrestling-match. At the upper end of the area sat the chief, and several
of his principal men were ranged on, each side of him, so as to form a
semicircle; these were the judges, by whom the victor was to be
applauded; seats were also left for us at each end of the line; but we
chose rather to be at liberty among the rest of the spectators.

When all was ready, ten or twelve persons, whom we understood to be the
combatants, and who were naked, except a cloth that was fastened about
the waist, entered the area, and walked slowly round it, in a stooping
posture, with their left hands on their right breasts,