NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 191 



light and air. He faid it fhould be done as I deflred ; ^ ^^^^ p* 

 and every thing being fettled to general fatisfadion refpedt- > — ^- — » 

 ing the building, we proceeded up the valley, attended by FehruL'y. 

 a number of the natives of both fexes, young and old, ^"^^ ^^ ^' 

 who behaved with the greateft hofpitality and friendfhip, 

 prefling me earneftly to go into every houfe we came to, 

 and partake of the befl fare in their power to give ; and 

 numbers of the mothers bringing me their children- 

 to ho-ne, that is falute them, by touching nofes ; my 

 compliance with which feemed to give them infinite fa- 

 tisfad:ion ; and I can fafely affirm^ it gave me equally as 

 much : I was delighted to fee fo much happinefs in the 

 faces of hundreds of the Indians whom we had formerly 

 fo much reafon to think were a treacherous people. This 

 excurlion gave me a frefh opportunity of admiring the 

 amazing ingenuity and induftry of the natives in laying 

 out their taro and fugar-cane grounds ; the greateft part 

 of which are made upon the banks of the river, with ex- 

 ceeding good caufeways made with ftones and earth, lead- 

 ing up the valleys and to each plantation ; the taro-beds 

 are in general a quarter of a mile over, dammed in, and 

 they have a place in one part of the bank, that ferves as a 

 gateway. When the rains commence, which is in the- 

 winter feafon, the river fwells with the torrents from the 

 mountains, and overflows their taro-beds ; and when the 

 lains are over, and the rivers decreafe, the dams are ftop- 

 ped up, and the water kept in to nourifh the taro and 

 fiigar-cane during the dry feafon ; the water in the beds 

 is generally about one foot and a half, or two feet, over 

 a muddy bottom ; the fugar-cane generally in lefs water, 

 grows very large and fine, and is a great article of food 

 with the natives, particularly the lower clafs j the taro 



alfo 



