Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/321

THE TONGA ISLANDS. 255 CHAP. IX. Island of Hoonga— Curious cavern there, and how first dis- covered — Anecdote of the person who first discovered the cavern — Description of the sport of shooting rats — Po- pular tale of the origin of the Tonga islands — Finow's re- turn to Vavaoo — General Jbno, and seizure of several chiefs — Stratagem used to secure Cacahoo — Several of the pri- soners taken out to sea to be sunk; their conversation on the way — Conduct of Cacahoo whilst sinking — Conduct of the widows of the deceased, particularly of the widow of Now Fahoo — Description of the plantation of Mahe Boogoo — ^Popular tale of what happened at this plantation in former times — Tonga song — Abundance of a peculiar fish found here — This plantation given up by Mahe BoogoOj and conferred on Mr. Mariner by Finow — Mr. Mariner's providential escape from a shark — A dead sper- maceti whale found off one of the islands — Their method of making ornaments with its teeth — Anecdote exempli- fying the high estimation in which whale's teeth are held — Still greater value of them at the Fiji islands — Arrival of Cow Mooala from the Fiji islands. FiNow, having at this time no business of im. portance on which to employ his attention, re- solved to go to the island of Hoonga, lying at a small distance to the southward of Vavaoo, in order to inspect the plantations there, and to recreate himself a little with the sport of shooting birds and rats. Mr. Mariner, as usual, formed one of the party. On this island