noon
Sometimes I was too indolent for exercise , and accepting one of the many invitations I was continually receiving , stretched myself out on the mats of some hospitable dwelling , and occupied myself pleasantly either in watching the proceedings of those around me or taking part in them myself . Whenever I chose to do the latter , the delight of the islanders was boundless ; and there was always a throng of competitors for the honour of instructing me in any particular craft . I soon became quite an accomplished hand at making tappa -- could braid a grass sling as well as the best of them -- and once , with my knife , carved the handle of a javelin so exquisitely , that I have no doubt , to this day , Karnoonoo , its owner , preserves it as a surprising specimen of my skill . As noon approached , all those who had wandered forth from our habitation , began to return ; and when midday was fairly come scarcely a sound was to be heard in the valley : a deep sleep fell upon all . The luxurious siesta was hardly ever omitted , except by old Marheyo , who was so eccentric a character , that he seemed to be governed by no fixed principles whatever ; but acting just according to the humour of the moment , slept , ate , or tinkered away at his little hut , without regard to the proprieties of time or place . Frequently he might have been seen taking a nap in the sun at noon-day , or a bath in the stream of mid-night . Once I beheld him perched eighty feet from the ground , in the tuft of a cocoanut tree , smoking ; and often I saw him standing up to the waist in water , engaged in plucking out the stray hairs of his beard , using a piece of muscle-shell for tweezers .