Some time after this I obtained permission to visit Ambow. My chief furnished me with a canoe and two men. We started in the morning and reached Ambow in the afternoon. I went direct to the king, who was delighted to see me and treated me to the best he had. He asked me if I had come back to stop with him, but I told him I should return the next morning, having only come to see him and inquire after his health. He seemed very much flattered that I should have manifested so much interest in him. I also went round and visited the chiefs of my acquaintance, who were exceedingly glad to see me, but all regretted that my visit was to be so short. The next morning we returned to Raver. A short time after our return we were visited by a party from the big island called by the natives Vechalaboo, bringing with them presents of tappah and salt for the king of Raver. These presents were brought up to the public square, which is used for all grand occasions, and distributed with the usual ceremony. After this our chiefs had a dance by themselves. They formed in a straight line with the head chief in the center and the singers behind. When the singing began (one singing a line or sentence alone, then all repeating) the chiefs kept time with their hands and feet with great regularity. They had no music but singing, though when they went through the spear exercise, they made a kind of drum by resting the ends of a stick of timber some five feet long on blocks, and beating on the middle with sticks about the size of drum sticks. I always had the privilege, at the time of receiving presents, of selecting whatever I chose, and generally availed myself of it. Sometimes when the natives thought I was helping myself rather too freely they would call out that a certain subject was tabooed, but I would tell them it wasn't tabooed for me to take what I liked. Salt was a scarce article among them and much valued. It was made in artificial ponds by the heat of the sun, and they brought all they had for market to Raver. The king of Raver had married the big island chief's daughter. From Raver the salt was carried to Ambow, and exchanged for tappah, oil, mats, etc., and from there it would get distributed over most of the islands. It was manufactured in large cakes--some of them as large as two men could carry on a pole. When our visitors departed their canoes were loaded with presents from our people consisting of mats, tappah, and oil scented with sandal wood and flowers.