22 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



teacher, and I was invited to eat. It was, in their 

 view, an important piece of courtesy, which a 

 recent breakfast rather unfitted me for ; yet I 

 ate, with compliments, of the mealy kalo, and 

 tasted of the pig, while the king was taking 

 huge morsels that would almost sink a common 

 man. 



The wine of this feast was the delicious 

 milk of young cocoa-nuts just from the tree ; 

 and I will venture to say that Hebe never 

 poured such nectar into the goblets of the 

 gods, It was more like that which Eve made 

 ready once in Eden, as the poet tells, where- 

 with to entertain their angel guest : 



" With inoffensive must and meathes, 

 From many a berry and from sweet kernels pressed, 

 She tempers dulcet creams ; nor them to hold 

 Wants her fit vessels pure ; then strews the ground 

 With rose and odours from the shrub unfumed." 



This entertainment over, we repaired to the 

 teacher's, where again was served up the same, 

 with the addition of banana made into &poi y of 

 which the king ate freely. I was here pre- 

 sented with a couple of rolls of white kapa by 



