A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

On the 11th, early in the morning, I had a visit from Oreo and his son, a youth about twelve years of age.The latter brought me a hog and some fruit; for which I made him a present of an axe, and dressed him in ashirt, and other things, which made him not a little proud of himself. Having staid some hours, they wenton shore; as I also did soon after, but to another part. The chief hearing I was on shore, came to the placewhere he found the boat, into which he put a hog and a quantity of fruit, without saying a word to anybody, and, with some of his friends, came on board, and dined with us. After dinner I had a visit from Oooorou,the principal chief of the isle. He was introduced to us by Oreo, and brought with him, as a present,a large hog, for which I made him a handsome return. Oreo employed himself in buying hogs for me (forwe now began to take of them), and he made such bargains as I had reason to be satisfied with. At lengththey all took leave, after making me promise to visit them next morning; which I accordingly did, incompany with several of the officers and gentlemen. Oreo ordered an heava to be acted for ourentertainment, in which two very pretty young women were the actresses. This heava was somewhatdifferent from the one I saw before, and not so entertaining. Oreo, after it was over, accompanied us onboard, together with two of his friends.The following day was spent much in the same manner; and early in the morning of the 14th, I sent MrPickersgill, with the Resolution's launch, and Adventure's cutter, to Otaha, to procure an additional supplyof bananoes, and plantains, for a sea-store; for we could get little more of these articles at Ulietea than weresufficient for present consumption. Oreo, and some of his friends, paid me a pretty early visit this morning.I acquainted the chief, that I would dine with him, and desired he would order two pigs to be dressed aftertheir manner, which he accordingly did, and, about one o'clock, I, and the officers and gentlemen of bothships, went to partake of them. When we came to the chiefs house, we found the cloth laid; that is, greenleaves were strewed thick on the floor. Round them we seated ourselves; presently one of the pigs cameover my head souce upon the leaves, and immediately after the other; both so hot as hardly to be touched.The table was garnished round with hot bread-fruit and plantains, and a quantity of cocoa-nuts brought fordrink. Each man being ready, with his knife in his hand, we turned to without ceremony; and it must beowned, in favour of their cookery, that victuals were never cleaner, nor better dressed. For, though the pigswere served up whole, and one weighed between fifty and sixty pounds, and the other about half as much,yet all the parts were equally well done, and eat much sweeter than if dressed in any of our methods. Thechief and his son, and some other of his male friends, eat with us, and pieces were handed to others who satbehind: For we had a vast crowd about us; so that it might be truly said we dined in public. The chief neverfailed to drink his glass of Madeira whenever it came to his turn, not only now, but at all other times whenhe dined with us, without ever being once affected by it. As soon as we had dined, the boat's crew took theremainder; and by them, and those about them, the whole was consumed. When we rose up, many of thecommon people rushed in, to pick up the crumbs which had fallen, and for which they searched the leavesvery narrowly. This leads me to believe, that though there is plenty of pork at these isles, but little falls totheir share. Some of our gentlemen being present when these pigs were killed and dressed, observed thechief to divide the entrails, lard, &c. into ten or twelve equal parts, and serve it out to certain people.Several daily attended the ships, and assisted the butchers, for the sake of the entrails of the hogs we killed.Probably little else falls to the share of the common people. It however must be owned, that they areexceedingly careful of every kind of provision, and waste nothing that can be eaten by man; flesh and fishespecially.In the afternoon we were entertained with a play. Plays, indeed, had been acted almost every day since wehad been here, either to entertainus, or for their own amusement, or perhaps both.[2]