The Sandal-wood party - Native children's games, somewhat surprising - Desperate amusements suddenly and fatally brought to a close - An old friend recognised - News - Romata's mad conduct NEXT day the wood-cutting party went ashore again, and Iaccompanied them as before.During the dinner hour I wandered into the woods alone, being disinclined for food that day.I had not rambled far when I found myself unexpectedly on the sea-shore, having crossed a narrow neck of land which separated the native village from a large bay.Here I found a party of the islanders busy with one of their war-canoes, which was almost ready for launching.I stood for a long time watching this party with great interest, and observed that they fastened the timbers and planks to each other very much in the same way in which I had seen Jack fasten those of our little boat.But what surprised me most was its immense length, which I measured very carefully, and found to be a hundred feet long; and it was so capacious that it could have held three hundred men.It had the unwieldy out-rigger and enormously high stern-posts which I had remarked on the canoe that came to us while I was on the Coral Island.Observing some boys playing at games a short way along the beach, I resolved to go and watch them; but as I turned from the natives who were engaged so busily and cheerfully at their work, I little thought of the terrible event that hung on the completion of that war-canoe.
Advancing towards the children, who were so numerous that I began to think this must be the general play-ground of the village, I sat down on a grassy bank under the shade of a plantain-tree, to watch them.And a happier or more noisy crew I have never seen.There were at least two hundred of them, both boys and girls, all of whom were clad in no other garments than their own glossy little black skins, except the maro, or strip of cloth round the loins of the boys, and a very short petticoat or kilt on the girls.They did not all play at the same game, but amused themselves in different groups.
One band was busily engaged in a game exactly similar to our blind-man's-buff.Another set were walking on stilts, which raised the children three feet from the ground.They were very expert at this amusement and seldom tumbled.In another place I observed a group of girls standing together, and apparently enjoying themselves very much; so I went up to see what they were doing, and found that they were opening their eye-lids with their fingers till their eyes appeared of an enormous size, and then thrusting pieces of straw between the upper and lower lids, across the eye-ball, to keep them in that position! This seemed to me, I must confess, a very foolish as well as dangerous amusement.Nevertheless the children seemed to be greatly delighted with the hideous faces they made.Ipondered this subject a good deal, and thought that if little children knew how silly they seem to grown-up people when they make faces, they would not be so fond of doing it.In another place were a number of boys engaged in flying kites, and I could not help wondering that some of the games of those little savages should be so like to our own, although they had never seen us at play.But the kites were different from ours in many respects, being of every variety of shape.They were made of very thin cloth, and the boys raised them to a wonderful height in the air by means of twine made from the cocoa-nut husk.Other games there were, some of which showed the natural depravity of the hearts of these poor savages, and made me wish fervently that missionaries might be sent out to them.But the amusement which the greatest number of the children of both sexes seemed to take chief delight in, was swimming and diving in the sea; and the expertness which they exhibited was truly amazing.They seemed to have two principal games in the water, one of which was to dive off a sort of stage which had been erected near a deep part of the sea, and chase each other in the water.Some of them went down to an extraordinary depth; others skimmed along the surface, or rolled over and over like porpoises, or diving under each other, came up unexpectedly and pulled each other down by a leg or an arm.They never seemed to tire of this sport, and, from the great heat of the water in the South Seas, they could remain in it nearly all day without feeling chilled.
Many of these children were almost infants, scarce able to walk;yet they staggered down the beach, flung their round fat little black bodies fearlessly into deep water, and struck out to sea with as much confidence as ducklings.
The other game to which I have referred was swimming in the surf.
But as this is an amusement in which all engage, from children of ten to gray-headed men of sixty, and as I had an opportunity of witnessing it in perfection the day following, I shall describe it more minutely.
I suppose it was in honour of their guest that this grand swimming-match was got up, for Romata came and told the captain that they were going to engage in it, and begged him to "come and see.""What sort of amusement is this surf swimming?" I inquired of Bill, as we walked together to a part of the shore on which several thousands of the natives were assembled.
"It's a very favourite lark with these 'xtr'or'nary critters,"replied Bill, giving a turn to the quid of tobacco that invariably bulged out his left cheek."Ye see, Ralph, them fellows take to the water as soon a'most as they can walk, an' long before they can do that anything respectably, so that they are as much at home in the sea as on the land.Well, ye see, I 'spose they found swimmin'
for miles out to sea, and divin' fathoms deep, wasn't exciting enough, so they invented this game o' the surf.Each man and boy, as you see, has got a short board or plank, with which he swims out for a mile or more to sea, and then, gettin' on the top o' yon thundering breaker, they come to shore on the top of it, yellin'
