Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/424

358 they generally resort for cava, and which from custom has become a sort of rendezvous to pick up or retail news. Mr. Mariner, who had been with Finow (his patron, father, and pro- tector,) during his illness, coming to the cook- house and hearing what the priest had said, went out of curiosity to Finow' s daughter, and was surprised to find her sitting up, eating ripe bananas, and in very good spirits, talking at in- tervals to her female attendants. In the evening Finow, feeling himself for the most part recovered, visited his daughter, and found her much worse than, as he was in- foi'med, she had been in the morning. He now expressed his intention of passing the night at her house, which he accordingly did. When he awoke in the morning he felt himself per- fectly recovered ; but going to his daughter's mat, he found, to his utmost grief, that she was worse than ever. In the course of the morning he went down to the sea-shore, to give some orders respecting an alteration he designed in the sail of his canoe, in which he also employed himself (to distract his thoughts probably) the greater part of the day. At night he again slept at the house of his daughter ; and very early the following morning gave orders for all his chiefs, matabooles, and attendants, to go on board his canoes, and gave directions for his