1777* England, upon the greateft.man, i f he k ille d the meaneft
S e p tem b e r . ° . • a
<— .---- ' fervant, they feemed to liften with great a tten tion ; and
-were, probably, o f a different opinion from that o f their
matter, on this fubjeft.
A fte r lea vin g Towh a, w e proceeded to Oparre, where
Otoo prefled us to fpend the night. We landed in the evenin
g ; and, on our road to his houfe, had an opportunity o f
obferving in what manner thefe people amufe themfelves,
in their private' heevas. About a hundred o f them were
found fitting in a h o u fe ; and in the midft o f them were two
women, w ith an old man behind each o f them, beating very
g en tly .upon a drum ; and the women, at intervals, fing ing
in a f o f t e r manner, than I ever heard at their other diversions.
T he affembly liftened w ith great attention ; and
were, feeming ly, almoft abforbed in the pleafure the m u fic
g a ve th em ; fo r few took any notice o f us, and the performers
never once flopped. It was almoft dark before we
reached Otoo’ s houfe, where w e were entertained w ith one
p f their public heevas, or plays, in w h ich his three fitters
appeared as the principal characters. T h is was w hat they
call a ¿ « w rad, w hich is o f fu ch a nature, that no body is
to enter the houfe or area, where it is exhibited. When the
royal fitters are the performers, this is always the cafe.
T h e ir drefs, on this occafion, was truly pidturefque and eleg
a n t ; and they acquitted themfelves, in their parts, in a
ve ry diftinguifhed m an n e r ; though fome comic interludes,
performed by fo u r men, feemed to yield greater pleafure to
Wedoef. 3. the audience, w hich was numerous. The next morning
w e proceeded to Matavai, leaving Otoo at O pa rre ; but his
mother, fitters, and feveral other women, attended me on
board, and Otoo h im fe lf followed foon after.
While
While Otoo and I were abfent from the fhips, they had *7^ -.
been but fparingly fupplied with fru it, and had few vifiters. c— .------>
After our return, w e again overflowed with provifions, and
with company.
On the 4th, a party o f us dined afhore with Omai, who Thurfday 4-
gave excellent fare, con fiftin g o f fifti, fowls, pork, and puddings.
After dinner, I attended Otoo, who had been one o f
the party, back to his houfe, where I found all his fervants
v e ry bufy, ge tting a quantity o f provifions ready fo r me.
Amongft other articles, there was a large hog, w hich they
k illed in my prefence. T he entfails were divided into eleven
portions, in fuch a manner, that each o f them contained •
a bit o f every thing. Thefe portions were diftributed to the
fervants, and fome drefied theirs in the fame oven with the
h o g , w h ile others carried off, undrefled, what had come to
their ihare. The re was alfo a large pudding, the whole
procefs in m akin g w hich, I faw. It was compofed o f breadfruit,
ripe plantains, taro, and palm or pandanus nuts, each
rafped, fcraped, or beat u p fine, and baked by itfelf. A
quantity o f juice , exprefled from cocoa-nut kernels, was
put into a large tray, or wooden veflel. T h e other articles,
hot from the oven, were depofited in this v e fle l; and a few
hot ftones were alfo put in, to make the contents fimmer.
Three or four men made ufe o f flicks to flir the feveral ingredients,
till they were incorporated one with another, and
the ju ice .o f the cocoa-nut was turned to o i l ; fo that the
whole mafs, at laft, became o f the confiftency o f a hafty-
pudding. Some o f thefe puddings are excellent; and few
that w e make in England equal them. I feldom, or never,
dined without one, when I could ge t it, which was not always
the cafe. Otoo’s hog being baked, and the pudding,
w hich I have defcribed, being made, they, together with
V o l . II. H two