[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

174 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

ridge were planted brightly-coloured trees, and be-
tween their trunks we could see the ocean, heavenly
blue. On the other side were the large, well—kept
gamals, and crowds of people in festival attire; many
had come from a distance, as the feast was to be a
big one, with plenty to eat for everybody.

Palo, the host, was very busy looking after his
guests and giving each his share of good things. He
was a most good-natured, courteous old gentleman,
although his costume consisted of nothing but a few
bunches of ferns. The number of guests increased
steadily; besides the real heathen in unadorned
beauty, there were half—civilized Christians, ugly in ill-
fitting European clothes, of which they were visibly
vain, although they made blots on the beautiful
picture of native life. All around the square grunted
the tusked pigs.

At noon four men gave the signal for the begin-
ning of the festivities by beating two big drums,
which called the guests to dinner. Palo had sent us
a fowl cooked native fashion between hot stones, and,
like everything cooked in this way, it tasted very
delicious. Shortly afterwards the real ceremonies
began, with the killing of about two hundred young
female pigs which had been kept in readiness in little
bamboo sheds.

Accompanied by the drums, Palo led all the high-
castes in dancing steps out of the gamal and round
the square. After a few turns the chiefs drew up in
line in front of him, and he mounted a stone table,
while everyone else kept on dancing. His favourite