Breakfastwasratheraprotractedbusiness。Andthatwasscarceoverwhenwewerecalledtothegreathousenowfinished-recallyourearlierletterstoseearoyalkava。
Thisfunctionisofrareuse；IknowgrownSamoanswhohaveneverwitnessedit。Itis，besides，asyouaretohear，apieceofprehistorichistory，crystallisedinfigures，andthefactslargelyforgotten；anactedhieroglyph。Thehouseisreallysplendid；intheraftersinthemidst，twocarvedandcolouredmodelbirdsareposted；theonlythingofthesortIhaveeverremarkedinSamoa，theSamoansbeingliteralobserversofthesecondcommandment。Atonesideoftheeggourpartysat。a=Mataafa，b=LadyJ。，c=Belle，d=Tusitala，e=Graham，f=Lloyd，g=CaptainLeigh，h=Henry，i=Popo。Thex’sroundarethehighchiefs，eachmaninhishistoricalposition。OnesideofthehouseissetapartfortheKingalone；wewereallowedthereashisguestsandHenryasourinterpreter。Itwasahugetrialtothelad，whenaspeechwasmadetomewhichhemusttranslate，andImadeaspeechinanswerwhichhehadtoorate，full-breathed，tothatbigcircle；heblushedthroughhisdarkskin，butlookedandactedlikeagentlemanandayoungfellowofsense；thenthekavacametotheKing；hepouredonedropinlibation，drankanother，andflungtheremainderoutsidethehousebehindhim。NextcametheturnoftheoldshapelessstonemarkedT。
ItstandsforoneoftheKing’stitles，Tamasoalii；MataafaisTamasoaliithisday，butcannotdrinkforit；andthestonemustfirstbewashedwithwater，andthenhavethebowlemptiedonit。Then-theorderIcannotrecall-cametheturnofyandz，twooratorsofthenameofMalietoa；thefirsttookhiskavadownplain，likeanordinaryman；thesecondmustbepackedtobedunderabigsheetoftapa，andbemassagedbyanxiousassistantsandriseonhiselbowgroaningtodrinkhiscup。W。，agreathereditarywarman，camenext；fivetimesthecup-bearersmarchedupanddownthehouseandpassedthecupon，fivetimesitwasfilledandtheGeneral’snameandtitlesheraldedatthebowl，andfivetimesherefuseditafterexaminationastoosmall。ItissaidthiscommemoratesatimewhenMalietoaattheheadofhisarmysufferedmuchforwantofsupplies。ThenthissamemilitarygentlemanmustDRINKfivecups，onefromeachofthegreatnames:allwhichtookapreciouslongtime。Heactedverywell，haughtilyandinasocietytoneOUTLININGTHE
part。ThedifferencewasmarkedwhenhesubsequentlymadeaspeechinhisowncharacterasaplainGod-fearingchief。A
fewmorehighchiefs，thenTusitala；onemore，andthenLadyJersey；onemore，andthenCaptainLeigh，andsoonwiththerestofourparty-Henryofcourseexcepted。Youseeinpublic，LadyJerseyfollowedme-justsofarwasthesecretkept。