306 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OR, 



expected feast at the house of one of the trio, and we now 

 went to inspect the preparations for the entertainment. In 

 a hole in the ground, in front of my house, was a brisk fire, 

 which had been burning for some time. A mass of living 

 embers was on the bottom, and in the midst was a heap of 

 lava. This was the oven. A couple of small pigs, nicely 

 cleaned of hair, a turkey, a large fish, and a liberal supply 

 of potatoes and yams, were the contributions of our hosts. 

 Very deftly, with a crooked stick, the hot stones were with- 

 drawn from the embers, and the dust blown from them. 

 They were then placed inside of the pig and fowl, and a sa- 

 vory steam soon issued forth. The meat was next rapidly 

 wrapped in broad leaves, and placed in the oven, which had 

 been cleaned of most of the coals. The vegetables were next 

 arranged, and the whole covered with the hot stones, embers, 

 and leaves, a small quantity of water being poured over all. 

 A sweet smell of wholesome food arose, and held us hungry 

 sailors to the spot ; but " the watched pot never boils ;" and, 

 to facilitate the cooking, we tore ourselves away, and pro- 

 ceeded to inspect the town. 



Many of the grass houses were in small garden inclosures, 

 surrounded by loosely-piled lava walls. Within we observed 

 patches of sweet-potatoes and yams, melons and pumpkins, 

 with pine-apples, and plants which were new to me. Over- 

 head was the cocoa-nut and a few bananas. The black lava 

 soil seemed rich and productive. On the bluff fronting the 

 bay, and separating the two towns, numbers of goats were 

 seen, and pigs abounded, though we saw no horses or cows. 

 Wild cattle are said to abound on the table-lands, however. 

 In the face of the bluff, and at a considerable elevation, were 

 numbers of small excavations. These, we were told, were 

 once the burial-places of the people. The dead lowered 

 from above were pushed into the caves, and left to the dis- 

 position of Pele, who dwelt in the neighboring volcano. In 



