their heads into holes, or behind stones, as if more effectually to shelter themselves from the fury of the fiery furnace.  At last the eruption ceased, Willis knocked the ashes out of his pipe, replaced it in his pocket, and the convoy resumed its route.  After half an hour’s march, the procession halted near a clump of plantains, in front of a structure more ambitious than any of those in the neighborhood.  A female, laden with rude ornaments, was standing at the door.  This lady, who rivalled the celebrated Daniel Lambert in dimensions, would have created quite a furore at Bartholomew Fair; according to Jack, she was so amazingly fat, that it would have taken full five minutes to walk round her.  She took the Pilot respectfully by the hand, and led him into the interior of the building, which was crowded with images of various forms, and was evidently a temple.  Willis, at a sign from his conductress, seated himself in a chair, raised on a dais, and surmounted by a terrific figure similar to the one already described, but draped in white feathers instead of red.

The fat lady, or rather the high priestess—­for she was the reigning potentate in this magazine of idols—­took a sucking pig that was held by one of the priests.  After muttering a prayer or homily of some sort, she strangled the poor animal, and returned it to the priest.  By and by, the pig was brought in again cooked, and presented with great ceremony to Willis.  There were likewise sundry dishes of fruit, nuts, and several small cups containing some kind of liquid.  One of the priests cut up the pig, and lifted pieces of it to Willis’s mouth; these, however, he refused to eat.  The fat priestess, observing this, chewed one or two mouthfuls, which she afterwards handed to the Pilot.  This was putting the sailor’s gallantry to rather a rude test.  He was equal to the emergency, and did not refuse the offering.  But he must have felt at the time, that being a divinity was not entirely without its attendant inconveniences.

Nor was this the only infliction of the kind he was doomed to withstand.  One of the priests took up a piece of kava-root, put it into his mouth, chewed it, and then dropped a bit into each of the cups already noticed.  One of these, containing this nectar, was presented to Willis by the fat Hebe who presided at the feast, and he had the fortitude to taste it.  Another of the cups was handed to Jack.

“No, I thank you,” said he, shaking his head; “I breakfasted rather late this morning.”

Meantime, another personage had entered upon the scene.  After having performed an obeisance to Willis like the rest, this individual backed himself to where Jack was standing, by this means adroitly avoiding both the kava and the nose-rubbings.  He was distinguished from the other natives by an ornament round his waist, which fell to his knees.  His skin seemed a trifle less dark, his features less marked; but his body was tattooed and stained after the common fashion.