two scull and steer. They have paddles, and paddle to the sound of drums. A lookout man sweeps the horizon till he sees a big fish, and the canoe rows for him. One of the steerers sharpens a harpoon and passes it forward, and the fish (a man dressed in red) is harpooned. There is a tremendous time in pulling him in; he runs around and entangles the line among the bystanders, and finally he gets a second harpoon in him, is hauled on board, and (in pantomime) cut up with an ax, dismembered,

9 feet by 20 feet by 18 inches deep. This is to be filled with firewood, and the stones heaped on the wood. These are smooth, water-worn, volcanic stones of varying size, but all rather large and weighing, at a guess, from 15 to 50 pounds. The number of the stones was about 200, and their average length about 15 inches.

Old Papa-Ita says that a woman who lived there long ago and who died and became a devil (or goddess) is the one to whom he prays and by whose mediation he passes unhurt through the fire.

I have spoken to several respectable natives who separately walked through it after him three years ago here, who all agree that they felt little heat on their feet, but a good deal on their heads, their ears, and their hands.

July 17.-This morning arranged to pay $6.30 (Chile) for five dozen fish, which were delivered early and put on ice; then went with Mrs. K. and bought the best shawl to be obtained in town for Mrs. Apouhara; paid for the chief's mat and other things which Tati had ordered for me, and then left my lodgings for the ship. I bathed for the last time in the Fatoua Pool; called on the governor and left my card and Ambassador Cambon's letter, getting an answer from the governor promptly, with an invita

began to walk

tion to call at 4 o'clock, which I was obliged to decline on account of the firewalk at that hour.

In preparation for the fire ceremony, I took a tin ship's measure full of fresh water, which held very nearly 5 quarts and, by weight, 9.2 pounds. The empty tin weighed 1.1 pound. This is to be used in half-filling, with three or four measures, a large wooden bucket or tub with fresh water, into which one of the smaller hot stones from the center of the fire is to be put after the ceremony.

I am told that the fire was lighted at a little after 12. I arrived, with Captain Lawson, Dr. McNulty, Chief Engineer Richardson, and two assistants. The wooden bucket, containing 31⁄2 im

perial gallons of fresh water at a temperature of 20 Reamur (77° F.) was provided, together with iron rakes from the engineer's room. The firewood was scarcely sufficient for a good heating; the stones in the center and beneath were, however, undoubtedly "red-hot." The outer enclosure, surrounded by canvas walls, was about 120 feet by 60 feet.

Mr. Ducarron, the U. S. Deputy Consul, says that Papa-Ita tried to carry on his exhibition in another island at the base of a hill composed of hard limestones, from which he exclusively used stone. (This was in Raiatea).

The fire there, I am told, invariably burned for 4 or 5 days before, and the stones became coated with lime. I learn that on one occasion, the French authorities having forbidden hin to perform in his usual place, he made the "oven" of other stones, heating them for 36 hours. On attemping to cross, he walked only part of the way and ran the rest. His two disciples and a woman also ran across, and the woman's feet were so badly burned that she was laid up for a week.

The prophet and his disciples declined to have their feet examined, and cleared out of sight. For corroboration, Mr. Ducarron says I may refer to M. Rousselot (address, Ministère des Colonies, Paris).

NOTES TAKEN ON THE SPOT WHILE

THE PERFORMANCE WENT ON

At 4.40, when the priest came in, the stones on the side of the pile would bear to be touched by the hand.

The aids began to turn the stones over with long green poles which burned at the ends. The upper stones were none of them red-hot on top; the lower ones, two layers deep, however, could be seen to glow between the others, but they were only near red-hot in the

center.

The old priest, Papa-Ita, beat the near stones with a large bunch of Ti

leaves three times, and then began to walk through the middle rather hurriedly, followed by two acolytes, who appeared to shun the hot central ridge, and walked along the sides. Then he walked back, followed by several; then back once more with an increasing crowd, most of whom avoided the center. The horny-footed natives did the best. One white boy took off his shoes, but could not stand the heat upon his bare feet, and stopped. At this point (i. e., after the second passage forward and back), I had the hottest stone of the pile in the center, on which the feet had certainly rested several times, hauled out and placed in the water bucket. The stone was much larger than I had reckoned or wished. A trifle of the water was spilled by the plunge, and the rest boiled hard and continued to do so for about 12 minutes. At the end of that time the stone was still too hot to handle, and I sent to the ship for a sack to hold it, directing the remaining water to be measured. It was a long stone; the lower part had been immersed in the central fire, and it was certainly much. hotter than the average center stones. During this time other persons walked over the stones without special preparation, the disciples still dodging the hot central line and following near the cooler part. I asked Papa-Ita if he could take upon his hand a small hot stone near the center. He said he would, but he did not. Next many white persons walked over, stopping long enough to lean over and lightly and quickly touch the hottest stones with their hands. Mr. Ducarron walked to the center and stood there shifting his feet (he had on thin shoes) from stone to stone for about 10 seconds before finding it too hot to stay.

After this the outer crowd was allowed to come inside the barrier. It was a capital exhibition of savage magic and well worth seeing, but no miracle ! *

* See Nature, August 22, 1901.

July 18.-We left at 10.30 a. m., the ship's upper deck being hung with bunches of bananas. As we went out of the harbor we passed wonderful greenyellow water inside the barrier reef, and we went over to the Island of Mourea (described in Melville's Omoo) to give the passengers a chance to visit it on the side not distinctly seen from Tahiti. It is very irregular in outline, with much finer cliffs than on Otaheite, and has one or two beautiful bays said to be good harbors. I understand that it would not be difficult to secure the whole island for a small sum.

We turned and went northward, bidding a good-bye to Tahiti and its Diadem," which we are never likely to see again.

July 19.-The vessel rolls a good deal. The temperature is pleasant.

After lunch, weighed the stone which I got from those used in the fire-walk. It weighs 65 pounds, is about 15 inches. in its longer diameter, and displaces 3% imperial gallons of water. After weigh ing, it was thrown overboard, a piece having been broken off to take home with me.*

* When I reached Washington I found it to be so porous that its specific gravity was but 2.39 and so non-conductible that a small fragment could be held in the fingers like a stick of

July 20-24.-On the 23d the sea almost glassy, reflecting the clouds.

On the 24th the smoke ceases to blow southwest from the funnel, and blows nearly south. The weather is still warm, but shows signs of getting cooler.

On the 25th, I think, or some later day which I did not note in my diary at the time, the whole sea around the ship seemed to be animated with spouting whales. We could see them at a distance as they rolled or played; and once a great shining black back, 20 to 30 feet of which was out of water, came directly toward the quarter of the ship, and was so near that we could have thrown a stone on it, when, apparently catching sight of the vessel, Leviathan dove, and made "the deep to boil like a pot," leaving a quarter of an acre of foaming ocean where he had gone down.

The diary does not appear to have been kept up for the next few days, which were pleasant, but uneventful.

In the early morning of the thirtieth of July we waited in a dense fog, and then moved slowly in through the Golden Gate, and reached the dock at San Francisco at about one o'clock.

sealing wax while the other end was made redhot in a blow-pipe. This non-conductibility is evidently the principal cause of the success of the fire-walk "miracle."