Thither I Determined To Go, And We Set Off Along
A Mountain Path.
The rain was all gone, and it was a lovely, still
evening.
Suddenly I heard distant yells and shouts and the beating
of the "lalis" (hollow wooden drums), and I set off running, leaving
Masirewa and my canoe man carrying my baggage far behind, and on
turning a sharp corner I came full upon the village of Natondre
and a most interesting sight. Hundreds of natives were squatting
on the ground of the village square, and about one hundred men with
faces black and in full war paint, swinging war clubs, were rushing
backward and forward yelling and singing while large wooden drums
were beaten. They were dressed in most fantastic style, some only
with fibrous strings round their loins, and others with yards of
"tapa" cloth wound around them. Several women were jumping about with
fibre aprons on, and all had their hair done up in many curious ways
and sprinkled with red and yellow powders. Huge piles of mats were
heaped in the open square, speeches were made, and the people all
responded with a deep "Ah-h" which sounded most effective from the
huge multitude. I came up in the growing dusk and stood behind a lot
of people squatting down. Suddenly some one looked round and saw me
- sensation - whispers of "papalangai" were heard on all sides,
and looks of astonishment were cast in my direction. Certainly my
entrance to Natondre could not have been more dramatic, and I believe
that they almost thought that I had FALLEN FROM THE SKIES, which is
the literal meaning of the word "papalangai."
CHAPTER 4
Mock War-Scene at the Chief's House.
War Ceremonies and Dances at Natondre Described - The Great Chief of
Nambukaluku - The Dances continued - A Fijian Feast - A Native
Orator - The Ceremonies concluded - The Journey continued -
A Wonderful Fungus - The bark of the rare Golden Dove leads to its
CaptureReturn to more Civilised Parts - The Author as Guest of a high
Fijian Prince and Princess - A SOUVENIR of Seddon - Arrival at Suva.
Masirewa soon arrived and I learned that there were some very important
ceremonies in which one tribe was giving presents to another tribe,
in settlement of some disputes that had been carried on since
the old cannibal fighting days, and as I passed into the "Buli's"
hut I noticed that the dancers were unwinding all the "tapa" cloth
from around their bodies and throwing it on the piles of mats. I
immediately went behind a "tapa" screen where the "Buli" slept, and
began to get into dry clothes. This evidently made some of the crowd
in the hut angry, as they thought I was lacking in respect to the
"Buli" by changing in his private quarters, as in Fiji the very high
chiefs. are looked upon as sacred. One fellow kept shouting at me in
a very impudent way, so when Masirewa came in, I told him about it,
and he lectured the crowd and told them that I was a very big chief;
this seemed to frighten them.
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