behind it.  After them, appeared twelve or fourteen women of the first rank, walking slowly in pairs, each pair carrying between them a narrow piece of white cloth extended, about two or three yards in length.  These marched up to the prince, squatted down before him, and, having wrapped some of the pieces of the cloth they had brought round his body, they rose up, and retired in the same order to some distance on his left, and there seated themselves.  Poulaho himself soon made his appearance, preceded by four men, who walked two and two abreast, and sat down on his son’s left hand, about twenty paces from him.  The young prince then quitting his first position, went and sat down under the shed with, his attendants; and a considerable number more placed themselves on the grass before this royal canopy.  The prince himself sat facing the people, with his back to the morai.  This being done, three companies, of ten or a dozen men in each, started up from amongst the large crowd a little after each other, and running hastily to the opposite side of the area, sat down for a few seconds; after which they returned in the same manner to their former stations.  To them succeeded two men, each of whom held a small green branch in his hand, who got up and approached the prince, sitting down for a few seconds three different times as they advanced; and then, turning their backs, retired in the same manner, inclining their branches to each other as they sat.  In a little time, two more repeated this ceremony.

The grand procession which I had seen march off from the other morai, now began to come in.  To judge of the circuit they had made from the time they had been absent, it must have been pretty large.  As they entered the area, they marched up to the right of the shed, and, having prostrated themselves on the grass, deposited their pretended burthens (the poles above-mentioned), and faced round to the prince.  They then rose up, and retired in the same order, closing their hands, which they held before them, with the most serious aspect, and seated themselves along the front of the area.  During all the time that this numerous band were coming in, and depositing their poles, three men who sat under the shed with the prince, continued pronouncing separate sentences in a melancholy tone.  After this, a profound silence ensued for a little time, and then a man, who sat in the front of the area, began an oration (or prayer), during which, at several different times, he went and broke one of the poles, which had been brought in by those who had walked in procession.  When he had ended, the people sitting before the shed separated, to make a lane, through which the prince and his attendants passed, and the assembly broke up.