144 A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
M17a74y*. Monday yt. rake an opportunity of juftifying himfelf. The next morning
therefore, at day break, we fet off in two boats, and
taking on board Orea and all his family, we arrived, after
two hours fail, at Wharai-te-Vah, a diftrift at the north-
O
eaft end of the ifland. We were welcomed by Mahine
and two of his elder brothers, and condudted to a fpacious
houfe. A fire was immediately made in a hole in the
ground, and fome large ftones heated. With the fame preparations,
which are already defcribed by captain Cook
in his formed voyage* a large hog was killed, cleaned,
wrapped in frefh leaves, and put into the hole or oven, and
covered with hot ftones and a heap of earth. Whilft it
■ continued to be ftewed there, with a quantity of fruit, my
father, with Dr. Sparrman and myfelf, went up the neighbouring
hills, where we found nothing new, though we
were at leaft feven or eight miles from our flrip. After a
walk of two hours we returned, and in a fliort time our
dinner was ferved up on green leaves. The fat of the entrails,
-together with the blood, had been wrapped up feparately
in a few leaves, and the fatteft chiefs and arreoys
in company immediately, feized upon, and fwallowed
them by handfuls. The reft dined with an uncommon degree
of voracity ; whilft a great croud of towtows, with their
greedy looks, devoured the feaft, of which they did not tafte
* See Hav/kefworth, vol, II, p.
a Angle
a Angle morfel. Some fliare of the pork was given to m7Ay.
Orea’s wife and daughter, who carefully wrapped it up, in
order to eat it apart. Thus it feems, that though the hog
was wholly dreffed, prepared, and diftributed by men, yet
this did not make it improper for the women to partake
o f it. At other times, it appears, that different perfons
cannot eat what has been touched by one or other of the
fame family ^ ; we are therefore unable to conceive by
what rule their cuftom of eating feparately is conducted.
The Taheitians are not the only people who do not eat
with their women; feveral nations of negroes, and even
the natives of Labrador, have adopted the fame idea.. From
the general condu& of thefe African and Efldmaux tribes, an
unnatural contempt for the fex appears to be their motive
for this unfociable cuftom. But as the Taheitian women
are very kindly treated, and highly efteemed by the men,
the cuftom muft have fome other origin among them,
which a connected feries of accurate observations may perhaps
in time lead us to difcover.
The captain had taken with him a few bottles of brandy,
which, mixed with water, makes the favourite liquor of
failors, called grog. The arreoys and fome other chiefs,
finding it ftrong, and almoft as naufeous as their pepper-
root drink, drank very freely of it, and afterwards took
* See Hawkefworth, vol. II.
v o l . i i . tf fome