Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/225

Rh THE TONGA ISLANDS. 159 Mariner, that if he ever rnet any common fel- low with his head covered, he should immedi- ately knock him down. He was, however, al- lowed, like other foreigners, to wear a head- dress without any restriction, as being supposed to be governed by different gods, and accus- tomed to different manners. But to return to our subject : it may be no- ticed that the form of the prince's marriage as here related, and which, for the most part, was according to the Hamoa custom, was not very different from that of the Tonga islands ; but two parts of the Hamoa ceremony were in this instance left out, viz. the payment of some- thing valuable to the brides' fathers by the bridegroom, such as bales of gnatoo, beads, &c. the brides being virgins : the other part of the ceremony, which in fact was to ascertaiu whether such payment was justly due, should have been performed by the bridegroom (digito admoto) when he had led his brides back into the house, and re-seated them on the bales of gnatoo: but the circumstance alluded to, not being thought by the natives of the Tonga islands consistent with delicacy, was accord- ingly omitted. In the evening of the same day, the large house on the malai was lighted up with flam- beaus. Singers and dancers of Hapai assem-