1769 NATIVE MEALS 



141 



washing his hands and mouth, cleaning the cocoanut- shells 

 and putting anything that may be left into the basket 

 again. 



It may be thought that I have given rather too large 

 a quantity of provision to my eater, when I say that he has 

 eaten three bread-fruits, each bigger than two fists, two or 

 three fish, fourteen or fifteen plantains or bananas, each, if 

 they are large, six or nine inches long and four or five 

 round, and concluded his dinner with about a quart of a food 

 as substantial as the thickest unbaked custard. But this I 

 do affirm, that it is but few of the many I was acquainted 

 with that eat less, while many eat a good deal more. How- 

 ever, I shall not insist that any man who may read this 

 should believe it as an article of faith ; I shall be content if 

 politeness makes him think, as Joe Miller's friend said : 

 " Well, sir, as you say so, I believe it, but by God, had I 

 seen it myself, I should have doubted it exceedingly." 



I have said that they seldom eat together ; the better 

 sort hardly ever do so. Even two brothers or two sisters 

 have each their respective baskets, one of which contains 

 victuals, the other cocoanut-shells, etc., for the furniture of 

 their separate tables. These were brought every day to our 

 tents to those of our friends who, having come from a 

 distance, chose to spend the whole day, or sometimes two or 

 three days in our company. These two relations would go 

 out, and sitting down upon the ground within a few yards 

 of each other, turn their faces different ways, and make 

 their meals without saying a word to each other. 



The women carefully abstain from eating with the men, 

 or even any of the victuals that have been prepared for 

 them ; all their food is prepared separately by boys, and 

 kept in a shed by itself, where it is looked after by the same 

 boys who attend them at their meals. Notwithstanding 

 this, when we visited them at their houses, the women with 

 whom we had any particular acquaintance or friendship 

 would constantly ask us to partake of their meals, which we 

 often did, eating out of the same basket and drinking out 

 of the same cup. The old women, however, would by no 



