Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-02-21
The Kings Yagona.

"When I am at home," said Will
Sullivan, the second morning he spent
in the Fiji Islands, "my father is
always scolding me for being lazy, and
coming late to breakfast, but if I lived
here 1 would always be in time"
Bob Rogers laughed at this.
eyes, I would" responded Will,
"for would never 60 to bed"
"That's all very nice now," replied
Bob.
CT wouldn't" said Will varying his
assertion. cts too lovely to lose an
hour, night or day, in Sleep"
"You would soon be glad enough to
60 to bed. It's all pretty enough now,
but sleeping is as pleasant in FIJI as in
Greenland. If you were here during
the rainy season you would be glad
enough to be late to breakfast some
times"
"Why, should think you would find
plenty to do then"
$50 do; but expect you have work
ahead when you lie in bed in Boston.
Last year father made me read the
Tongan Bible with him, and that kept
me busy. Last April [ went out turtle
fishing, but 1 don't expect to do it
again. Mamma cried all the time 1
was away"
81 would like that. Not to have my
mother cry, but to go after turtles. 1
saw, Bob, wish the faculty would re-
move Yale to FIJI. Pdnot mind going
to college then"
"You give me your chance" an
swered Bob. "You can come to Fiji
and learn all the dialects, and I will go
to America. But yet I should hate to
60 away!" he added, looking around
him.
Bob had been born on the FIJI Is
lands and he sometimes tired of them,
but everything was so fresh and lovely
this morning, and Will was so enthusi-
astic, that he looked at the scene be-
fore him with frightened eyes, and
caught some of his companions glad
admiration. The ocean WAS dashing
against the coral reefs, sending great
crested waves upon them to break and
run back. Inside the reefs the lagoon
lay as still and quiet as an inland lake.
1t was covered with the sails of the
double canoes, and near the shore a
group of girls and boys were darling
and diving through the water; a couple
of little fellows hardly more than
babies, were out On surf boards, and a
short distance off number of natives
of Inbou were unloading a small canoe
of yams and bananas. The mountain
that rises in the centre Of SomosomO,
and bears in its crest silver lake, was
half hidden in feecy clouds, while its
sides were green with foliage with
cocoanut trees, with taro beds, and
long lines of forest trees.
The village lay off some distance
from the shore, but not very far from
where the boys were standing q large
group of men were Fastening to and fro
carrying baskets, feeding fires, shout
dering dead pigs, and talking and ges-
ticulating in the most excited manner.
"Did those men work all night ?"
asked Will. "When I went to sleep 1t
was to the tune sung by the pigs vino
were being killed, and when I awak-
ened they were still squeaking."
"Of course" answered Bob, putting
his hands in his pockets, "they have to
begin days before or they would never
get through feast. Why, I don't be-
|
a Fijian can do when he wants to give
party. Tomorrow the island will be
filed with people, and as the only rule
is to give every man eight times as
much as he can eat the supply has to
be enormous. [ once saw pudding
made in honor of a Lakemba chief
that was twenty-one feet in circum-
ference. It took some time to cook
that !"
ct should think So" replied Will.
eff was chief cook at a Fijian feast I
would want q month in which to get
ready. Why those hills of yams, tur-
ties and all sorts of things that we saw
yesterday would take week just to put
into pots
CA month would hardly serve you,"
said Bob. "They have tons of food to
cook up. Papa has several times seen
feasts where the people provided over
three hundred tons.''
II hope they have no men in the
measured" said Will.
ooh, no +" exclaimed Bob. CT
know you all think that every Fijian is
cannibal, but we do not know of one
on this island, and the few that ever
come here are so ashamed of it that
they deny it. If you want to make the
men over yonder angry enough to kill
you, you: need only ask them if they
are going to have bokolo at their feast"
BakoIo," repeated Will.
"Yes; that is what they call it. But
as for this feast, [ am tired of it.
Months ago they began planning for it.
They have fshed for weeks. I have
not had q cocoanut or banana, except
from some visiting canoes, for ever SO
long. The little pig we had for dinner
yesterday came from Rewa. Every
thing here is under the taboo for the
feast, and nobody dares touch any
thing that grows or that runs on four
legs"
"How do they taboo everything ?"
asked Will.
"Do you see that little mound"-the
boys were now walking along the shore
-"with a stick stuck up in it and
some cocoanut leaves on it?"
with little fence around the
mound?"
eyes: that is the cocoanut taboo