Monday 12.
them to' the.-'Alek.ee'(chief). Accordingly I ordered them
to be taken up,- and we were conducted by him. to a
houfe wherein were feated, in a circle, eight or ten middle-
aged perfons. To them I and my pigs being introduced,
with great courtefy they defired me to fit down; and then I
began to expatiate on the merits of the two pigs, explaining to.
them how many young ones the female would have at one
time, and how foon thefe would multiply to fome hundreds.
My only motive was to enhance their value, that they might
take the more care of them ; and I had reafon to think I,
in fome meafurei'fucceeded. In the mean time,, two men
having left the company, foon returned with fix yams, which
were prefented.’ to me ; and; then I took’ leave jind weat on
board. S t < - irij [
I have already.’obferved,'. that here wasra little village ; I
' - V \ .• i _ 4\ ■ ? ^ 0
now found it much larger than I expeifted V -and, about it, a
good deal of cultivated land; regularly laid out,’ planted and
planting, with taro or fed&j root,7 yams, fugar-canes, and
plantains; The' taro plantations were prettily watered by
little rills,'continually fupplied from the1 main channel at
the foot of the mountains, from whence thefe ftreams1
were conducted in artful ’meanders. They have two mew
thods of planting thefe'roots,v fome are in fquare or'oblong
patches, which lie perfectly horizontal, and fink below
the common level of the adjacent land ’; fo that they can let
in on them as much water as they think neceflary.1 I have
generally feen them covered two or three inches deep; but
I do not know that this; is always neceflary. Others are
planted in ridges about three or four feet broad, and two,
or two. and an half high. On the middle or top of the ridge,
is a narrow gutter, in and along which is conveyed, as above
defended,
defended, a little rill that waters the roots, planted in the
ridge, on each fide of i t ; and thefe plantations are fo judi-
cioufly laid out, that the fame ftream waters feveral ridges.
Thefe ridges are fometimes the divifions to the horizontal
plantations; and when this method is ufed, which is for
the mod part obferved where a pathway or fomething of that
fort isrequifite, not an inch of ground is loft. Perhaps there
may be fome difference in the roots, which may make thefe
two methods of railing them neceflary. Some; are better
tailed than others, and they are not all of a colour; but be
this as it may, they are a very .wholefome food, and the tops
make good greens, and are eaten as fuch by the natives.
Qn thefe plantations men, women, and children were employed.
In the afternoon, I went on Ihore, and, on a large tree,
which flood clofe to the fhore, near thé watering place, had
an infeription cut, fetting forth the Ihip’s name, date, &c. as
a teftimony o f our being the firft difeoverers of this country,
as I had done at all others, at which we had touched, where
this ceremony was neceflary. This being done, we took leave
of our friends, and returned on board; when I ordered all
the boats to be hoifted in, in order to be ready to put to fea
in the morning. "
C H A P .