102 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



affecfled to appear to have no other view than 

 to be ufeful to us : we, however, caught fome 

 of them putting their hands from time to time 

 into our pockets, in order to fleal our property; 

 but, whenever we perceived them, we forced 

 them to reftore it to us. One of them, how- 

 ever, having got hold of a knife belonging to a 

 failor, ran off Vvith it as faff as his legs could 

 carry him, and made his efcape into the middle 

 of the woods. 



We prefently found a group of iflanders, 

 who were going to drink kava. They invited us 

 to fit down befide them ; we remained during 

 the whole time that they were preparing this 

 beverage. They call by the fame name the 

 fpecies of pepper-tree, of which it is chiefly 

 compofed, and the elongated, flefliy and very 

 tender roots of v.hich are frequently upwards 

 of a decimeter in rhickncfs. P'irfl: they cleaned 

 them Vvirh the greased care ; they then cheued 

 them, in ordc ] to reduce them to a forr of [jafte, 

 which they forn^;ca into balls nearly ^^ decime- 

 ter in circu/;f- rence : Vv'-icn ma:^c, they depo- 

 {\iQd tb.cT.i in u large wo.)di:n vclTel ; and as foon 

 as Its bfittom '.w.-.. :o- 'ied v> ith tr.cm, after hav- 

 ing placed tl;en; ot tlic diriai.cc of a decimeter 

 one from the ot;.v.i, t'ncy filled it vith Vvater. 

 lirmiediately this liquor was ftiried about, and 

 then diflributcd to all prcfent. Some drank 



out 



