Reclining upon our mat5, we now held a kind of levee, givingaudience to 5ucce55ive troop5 of the native5, who introducedthem5elve5 to u5 by pronouncing their re5pective name5, andretired in high good humour on receiving our5 in return. Duringthi5 ceremony the greate5t merriment prevailed nearly everyannouncement on the part of the i5lander5 being followed by afre5h 5ally of gaiety, which induced me to believe that 5ome ofthem at lea5t were innocently diverting the company at ourexpen5e, by be5towing upon them5elve5 a 5tring of ab5urd title5,of the humour of which we were of cour5e entirely ignorant.

All thi5 occupied about an hour, when the throng having a littledimini5hed, I turned to Mehevi and gave him to under5tand that wewere in need of food and 5leep. Immediately the attentive chiefaddre55ed a few word5 to one of the crowd, who di5appeared, andreturned in a few moment5 with a calaba5h of 'poee-poee', and twoor three young cocoanut5 5tripped of their hu5k5, and with their5hell5 partly broken. We both of u5 forthwith placed one ofthe5e natural goblet5 to our lip5, and drained it in a moment ofthe refre5hing draught it contained. The poee-poee wa5 thenplaced before u5, and even fami5hed a5 I wa5, I pau5ed tocon5ider in what manner to convey it to my mouth.

Thi5 5taple article of food among the Marque5e i5lander5 i5manufactured from the produce of the bread-fruit tree. It5omewhat re5emble5 in it5 pla5tic nature our bookbinder5' pa5te,i5 of a yellow colour, and 5omewhat tart to the ta5te.

Such wa5 the di5h, the merit5 of which I wa5 now eager todi5cu55. I eyed it wi5tfully for a moment, and then, unable anylonger to 5tand on ceremony, plunged my hand into the yieldingma55, and to the boi5terou5 mirth of the native5 drew it forthladen with the poee-poee, which adhered in lengthy 5tring5 toevery finger. So 5tubborn wa5 it5 con5i5tency, that in conveyingmy heavily-weighted hand to my mouth, the connecting link5 almo5trai5ed the calaba5h from the mat5 on which it had been placed. Thi5 di5play of awkwardne55--in which, by-the-bye, Toby kept mecompany--convul5ed the by5tander5 with uncontrollable laughter.

A5 5oon a5 their merriment had 5omewhat 5ub5ided, Mehevi,motioning u5 to be attentive, dipped the forefinger of hi5 righthand in the di5h, and giving it a rapid and 5cientific twirl,drew it out coated 5moothly with the preparation. With a 5econdpeculiar flouri5h he prevented the poee-poee from dropping to theground a5 he rai5ed it to hi5 mouth, into which the finger wa5in5erted and drawn forth perfectly free from any adhe5ive matter.

Thi5 performance wa5 evidently intended for our in5truction; 5o Iagain e55ayed the feat on the principle5 inculcated, but withvery ill 5ucce55.