1787. and at the fame moment all the natives ran away from us with dre-
February. . . . „ . J v
■ - - ■ cipitation. On turning about, I faw Tyheira coming towards us.;
it feems he was afraid that the people would be troublefome by
crouding about us, and on that account he took this method of
driving them away. This was the moil convincing proof I had
hitherto feen, of the kvery great -power the Arees have over the
xommon people. Any of the Hones thrown by Tyheira were at
leaft fufficient to have lamed any one they might happen to hit j
j e t the natives bore it with the moil patient fubmiflion.
Tyheira informed us, that by the time we got back to our landing
place, dinner would be ready. For this piece of intelligence,
we were obliged to him ; but he prefently fpoiled all, by fbliciting
very eameillv for a Matano : however, it was not worth while to
refufe him, fo he collected fix or eight nails, which fatisfied him
very well .for the prefent.
The day being very fultry, we walked leifurely back, and I returned
by a different path from that I "had taken, in going to
A Tappa. On examining the grafs, which in moft places is. higher
than the knee, I found it not altogether of a rough coarfe fort, but
intermixed with various forts of flowers, together with different
graffes, of the meadow kind j fo that I have no doubt, with proper
management, it would make excellent hay. By the time I got on
the beach, dinner was nearly ready, and a large houfe, which Ab-
benooe had for flowing away his canoes, was appropriated for our
reception.
During this time, Tyheira was bufily employed in collecting our
people together, which having done, he ordered dinner to be ferved
np. It would have excited the laughter of a tavern-cook, in no
fmall
fmall degree, had he feen our dinner brought in; and I can affine ^^7^
thee, the fight added greatly to my entertainment. u—y—j
There were no lefs than four fervants concerned in this bufi-
nefi; one brought in a large calabafh of water; another, a parceli
of cocoa-nuts; a third, a bowl full of fine baked taro; and the laft,
ufhered in by Tyheira himfelf, brought the hog, laid very decently
on a large circular wooden difh. This done, the laft man, who
appeared to be the head cook,, poured fome water oyer the hog,
and rubbed it with his hands, letting us underfland, that by this
means he fhould make excellent. gravy. This part of the ceremony
we could well have difpenfed with, but it could not be
avoided, without offending our hoft; and indeed our appetites, at
this time, were not remarkably delicate; for my own part, I eat
an exceeding hearty dinner, and. I believe moft of the party followed
my example. All this time, Tyheira’s attendants were ready
to open cocoa-nuts for us, whenever we required to quench our
thirft, and in fhort, paid every attention we could have expected,,
had we dined at a guinea ordinary.
I will take an opportunity of defcribing their method of cooking
hereafter; this I can tell thee, that the hog was done to a turn, as
cooks phrafe it : the taro much better baked than we could poffi-
bly do it on board; and the whole repaft, (if we except the method
of making gravy) was managed with a degree of decency and clean-
linefs, little to be expedited in a place fo very remote from civilized
refinements, and where nature and neceffity alone have furnifhed
the utenfils for preparations of this'fort.
After dinner I was determined to make an- excurlion in a different
part of the country to that where I had been in the morning;
and