296 cook's voyage to AmiL, 



large and palmated, which we saw them dig up near 

 the village, and afterward eat it. It is also proba- 

 ble that, as the season advances, they have many 

 others which we did not see. For though there be 

 no appearance of cultivation amongst them, there 

 are great quantities of alder, gooseberry and currant 

 bushes, whose fruits they may eat in their natural 

 state, as we have seen them eat the leaves of the last, 

 and of the lilies, just as they were plucked from the 

 plant. It must, however, be observed, that one of 

 the conditions which they seemed to require in all 

 food is, that it should be of the bland or less acrid 

 kind ; for they would not eat the leek or garlic, 

 though they brought vast quantities to sell, when 

 they understood we were fond of it. Indeed they 

 seemed to have no relish for any of our food ; and, 

 when offered spirituous liquors, they rejected them 

 as something unnatural and disgusting to the palate. 



Though they sometimes eat small marine animals, 

 in their fresh state, raw, it is their common practice 

 to roast or broil their food ; for they are quite igno- 

 rant of our method of broiling, unless we allow that 

 of preparing their porpoise broth is such ; and indeed 

 their vessels being all of wood, are quite insufficient 

 for this purpose. 



Their manner of eating is exactly consonant to the 

 nastiness of their houses and persons ; for the troughs 

 and platters, in which they put their food, appear 

 never to have been washed from the time they were 

 first made, and the dirty remains of a former meal 

 are only sweeped away by the succeeding one. They 

 also tear every thing, solid or tough, to pieces, with 

 their hands and teeth ; for though they make use of 

 their knives to cut off the larger portions, they have 

 not, as yet, thought of reducing these to smaller 

 pieces and mouthfuls, by the same means, though 

 obviously more convenient and cleanly. But they 

 seem to have no idea of cleanliness \ for they eat 





