i9i AVOYAGETOTHE 



*" ^Y^ ^' ^^■''O grows frequently as large as a man's head, and is 

 »- — ■ — -» efteemed the beft bread-kind they have ; they frequently 

 February, make a puddiug of it, which they keep till it becomes 

 "^' '^ ' a little four, and then they are very fond of it, preferring 

 ii to every thing elfe. The Indians that were a little 

 -while at fea with me almoft fretted themfelves to death 

 when their ftock of po-e was exhaufted, which was very 

 foon done, from the immoderate quantity they ate of it. 

 I have feen my friend Abbenooe eat near two quarts of it 

 at a meal, belides a quantity of iifh or pork. While we 

 were walking among thefe taro-beds a number of the 

 natives were in them, gathering it and fugar-cane to 

 fupply the fhips ; they were up to their middle in water. 

 After gratifying my curiofity amongft the plantations, my 

 friend accompanied me to a large houfe fituated under the 

 hills on the Weft fide the valley, and about two or three 

 miles from the fea-beach. I found this houfe to be very 

 large, commodious, and clean, with a new mat on the 

 floor ; on the left fide of the door was a wooden image of 

 a tolerably large fize, feated in a chair, which E^early i:e- 

 fembled one of o.ur armed chairs ; there was a grafs-plat 

 all round the image, and a fmall railing made of wood ; 

 befide the chairs w^ere feveral to-e's and other fmall ar- 

 ticles. My friend informed me that this houfe had been 

 built with the to-e I had given him upon my firft calling 

 at Oneehow, and that the other articles were prefents 

 that I had made him at different periods, and that the 

 image was in commemoration of my having been amongft 

 them. Few people were admitted into this houfe. 

 Amongft other articles in it were feveral drums; one in 

 pgTticular was very large, the head of which was made out 

 of the fkin of the large fhark I have already mentioned ; 



and 



