THEwholepopulationofthevalleyseemedtobegatheredwithintheprecinctsofthegrove。InthedistancecouldbeseenthelongfrontoftheTi,itsimmensepiazzaswarmingwithmen,arrayedineveryvarietyoffantasticcostume,andallvociferatingwithanimatedgestures;whilethewholeintervalbetweenitandtheplacewhereI
stoodwasenlivenedbygroupsoffemalesfancifullydecorated,dancing,capering,andutteringwildexclamations。Assoonastheydescriedmetheysetupashoutofwelcome;andabandofthemcamedancingtowardsme,chantingastheyapproachedsomewildrecitative。Thechangeinmygarbseemedtotransportthemwithdelight,andclusteringaboutmeonallsides,theyaccompaniedmetowardstheTi。When,however,wedrewnearit,thesejoyousnymphspausedintheircareer,andpartingoneitherside,permittedmetopassontothenowdenselythrongedbuilding。
SosoonasImountedtothepi-piIsawataglancethattherevelswerefairlyunderway。
Whatlavishplentyreignedaround!-Warwickfeastinghisretainerswithbeefandale,wasaniggardtothenobleMehevi!-AllalongthepiazzaoftheTiwerearrangedelaborately-carvedcanoe-shapedvessels,sometwentyfeetinlength,filledwithnewly-madepoee-poee,andshelteredfromthesunbythebroadleavesofthebanana。Atintervalswereheapsofgreenbread-fruit,raisedinpyramidicalstacks,resemblingtheregularpilesofheavyshottobeseenintheyardofanarsenal。Insertedintotheintersticesofthehugestoneswhichformedthepi-piwerelargeboughsoftrees;hangingfromthebranchesofwhich,andscreenedfromthesunbytheirfoliage,wereinnumerablelittlepackageswithleafycoverings,containingthemeatofthenumeroushogswhichhadbeenslain,doneupinthismannertomakeitmoreaccessibletothecrowd。Leaningagainsttherailingofthepiazzawereanimmensenumberoflong,heavybamboos,pluggedatthelowerend,andwiththeirprojectingmuzzlesstuffedwithawadofleaves。Thesewerefilledwithwaterfromthestream,andeachofthemmightholdfromfourtofivegallons。
Thebanquetbeingthusspread,noughtremainedbutforeveryonetohelphimselfathispleasure。Accordingly,notamomentpassedbutthetransplantedboughsIhavementionedwererifledbythethrongofthefruittheycertainlyhadneverbornebefore。Calabashesofpoee-poeewerecontinuallybeingreplenishedfromtheextensivereceptacleinwhichthatarticlewasstored,andmultitudesoflittlefireswerekindledabouttheTiforthepurposeofroastingthebread-fruit。