Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/295

Rh THE TONGA ISLANDS. 229 as the unfavourableness of the opportunity, or great fatigue, or ill state of health, or badness of his ground, &c. In their games of wrest- ling they act up to the same principle, never to speak ill of their antagonist aftenvards, -but al- ways to praise him. As an illustration of this character it may be remarked, that the man M'ho called himself Fanna Fonnooa, (a great gun,) who ventured his life in his hazardous approach to Mr. Mariner, and threw his spear at the muzzle of his carronade, never after- wards boasted of it, nor appeared to think he had done any thing extraordinary, or at least worthy of after-notice. Their notions of true bravery seem to be very correct, and the light in which they viewed this act of Fann^ Fon- nooa serves for an example : they considered it in short a rash action, and unworthy a great and brave mind, that never risks any danger but with a moral certainty, or at least reason- able expectation, of doing some service to his cause. In these respects they accuse Euro- peans of a great deal of vanity and selfishness, and unfortunately with too much justice. It must be remarked, however, that these noble sentiments belong to chiefs, matabooles, and professed warriors; not much to the lowest or- ders, many of whom will knock a dead man about the head with a club till they have