THE TONGA ISLANDS.

255

CHAP. IX.

Island of Hoonga—Curious cavern there, and how first dis-covered—Anecdote of the person who first discovered thecavern—Description of the sport of shooting rats—Po-pular tale of the origin of the Tonga islands—Finow’s re-turn to Vavaoo—General Juno, and seizure of several chiefs—Stratagem used to secure Cacahoo—Several of the pri-soners taken out to sea to be sunk; their conversation onthe way—Conduct of Cacahoo whilst sinking—Conductof the widows of the deceased, particularly of the widowof Now Fahoo—Description of the plantation cfMaheBoogoo—Popular tale of what happened at this plantationin former times—Tonga song—Abundance of a peculiarfish found here—This plantation given up by MaheBoogoo, and conferred on Mr. Mariner by Finow—Mr.Mariner’s providential escape from a shark—A dead sper-maceti whale found off one of the islands—Their methodof making ornaments with its teeth—Anecdote exempli-fying the high estimation in which whale’s teeth are held—Still greater value of them at the Fiji islands—Arrivalof Cow Mooala from the Fiji islands.

Finow, having at this time no business of im-portance on which to employ his attention, re-solved to go to the island of Hoonga, lying ata small distance to the southward of Vavaoo,in order to inspect the plantations there, andto recreate himself a little with the sport ofshooting birds and rats, Mr. Mariner, asusual, formed one of the party. On this island