PKOVISIONS. 113 



Every family has numbers of poultry, and it is a 

 favorite amusement to pit them against each other — 

 houses for the purpose existing in several parts of 

 the town. 



The clucks are the most peculiar that I ever saw ; 

 they stand erect, with their heads high in air, and 

 are facetiously nicknamed "Balli soldiers:" they are 

 excellent eating. 



The principal provisions we obtained here were 

 sweet jDotatoes and p)umpkins ; the former were 

 smaller and not near so good as ours at home, but 

 formed a pleasant variety. We soon disposed of them ; 

 sixty bushels lasting only six weeks. The pumpkins, 

 in shape and taste, resemble our squashes. We 

 also managed to get a few yucas, which is an esculent 

 resembling the potato, and, I think, a small variety 

 of the yam. 



Beside these, we carried out large quantities of 

 cocoa-nuts, bananas, and tamarinds — the bananas, 

 being brought aboard in an unripe state, after 

 a few days were fit to eat ; our cook attempted to 

 boil some, but the attempt proved a failure — we pre- 

 ferring them raw. The tamarinds were preserved 

 in molasses and stowed away ; they are valuable for 

 their anti-scorbutic properties, and were kept aboard 

 for years after leaving Balli. 



One day, whilst lying here, after I had pretty well 

 satiated my curiosity in the town, I strolled into the 

 country, and came across a cemetery filled with heca- 

 tombs — a slab being placed at the head, another at 

 the foot of the grave, and the space between tilled with 

 stones. Near this cemetery was a spot enclosed by 

 a high, solid, stone wall, but I could not ascertain 

 10* H 



