clofe habitations ma y afford a comfortable retreat in bad
weather, they feem but ill-adapted to the warmth o f the
climate. T h e y are, however, kept remarkably clean ; and
their floors are covered with a large quantity o f' dried grafs,
over w h ich th’e y fpread mats to fit and fleep upon. At one
end ftands a kind o f bench, about three feet high, on w h ich
their houfehold utenfils are placed. T h e catalogue is not long.
It confifts o f gourd-fhells, w h ich they convert into veffels that
ferve as bottles to hold water, and as baikets to contain their
victuals, and other things, w ith covers o f the fam e ; and o f
a few wooden bowls and'trenchers, o f different fizcs. Judgin
g from what we faw g rowin g, and from what w as b rou ght
to market, there can be no doubt, that the greateft part o f their
vegetable food confifts o f fweet potatoes, taro, and plantains ;;
and that bread-fruit and yams are rather to be efteemed rarities.
O f animal-food, they can be in no w a n t ; as they
have abundance o f hogs, w hich run, without reftrainr,.
about the houfes ; and i f they -eat dogs., w h ich is not improbable,
their flock o f thefe feemed to-be ve ry confiderable..
T h e great number o f fiihing-hooks found amongft. them,
ihewed, that they derive no inconfiderable fupply o f animal
food from the fea. But it ihould feem, from their pra&ice
o f falting fifh, that the opennefs o f their coaft often interrupts
the bufinefs o f catching them ; as it may be naturally
fuppofed, that no fet o f people would ever think o f preferrin
g quantities o f food artificially, i f they could depend upon;
a daily, regular fuppLy o f it, in its frefh ftate. This fort o f
reafoning, however, w ill not account for their cuftom o ff
falting their pork, as well as their fifh, which are preferved;
in gourd-fhells. The fait, o f which they ufe a great quantity
for this purpofe, is o f a red colour, not very coarfe, and
feems to be much the fame with w hat our ftragglers found
at Chriftmas Ifland. It has its colour, doubtlefs, front a hiix- ' 77s-
ture o f the mud, at the bottom o f the part, where it is
formed ; for fome o f it, that had adhered in lumps, was o f
a fufficient whitenefs and purity.
T h e y bake their vegetable food with heated ftones, as at
the Southern Iflands ; and, from the vaft quantity w hich we
faw dreffed at one time, we fufpeiled , that the whole village,
or, at leaft, a confiderable number o f people, joined
in the ufe o f a common oven. We did not fee them drefs
any animal food at this ifland; but Mr. Gore’s party, as
already mentioned, had an opportunity o f fad s fy in g them-
felves, that it was dreffed in OneeheoW in the fame fort o f
ovens ; which leaves no doubt o f this b e in g alfo the practice in
Atooi ; efpecially as w e met with no utenfil there, that could
be applied to the purpofe o f ftewing or boiling. The only
artificial difli w e met with, was a taro p u d d in g ; which,
though a difagreeable mefs from its fournefs, was g reedily
devoured b y the natives. T h e y eat o ff a kind o f wooden
plates, or trenchers; and the women, as fa r as' w e could
ju d g e from one inftance, i f reftrained from feeding at the
fame diih with thè men, as at Otaheite, are, at leaft, permitted
to eat in the fame place near them.
T h e ir amufements feem pretty various ; for, during our
fhort flay, feveral were difcovered. The dances, at which
they ufe the feathered cloaks and caps, were not feen ; but
from the motions w hich they made with their hands, on
other occafions, when they fung, we could form fome ju d g ment
that they are, in fome degree at leaft, fimilar to thofe
w e had met with at the Southern Iflands, though not executed
fo fk ilfu lly . Neither had they, amongft them, either
flutes or reeds ; and the only two mufical inftruments
II h 3 which