384) Accmmt of Pitcami^s Island, being an 
cooked after the Otaheitean manner, two brace of fowls, and 
plenty of yams and plantains. After dinner, were served up 
bananas and a species of apple peculiar to the island, which 
we found y&cy good. Every thing was clean, and conducted 
with great propriety. Grace was said both before and after 
dinner ; John Adams saying it first, then every one in rotation, 
according to their seniority. After dinner, we took a look at 
the different plantations, and found that most of their labour 
consisted in raising yams. There was an abundance of plan- 
tains and some sugar-cane, from which they extract molasses 
and liquor. The land appeared capable of producing any 
thing, and abounded with many esculent roots that we had never 
before seen, nor could the surgeon, who upon this occasion was 
our botanist, find names for them. During our excursion, we 
were shewn a very curious tree. The trunk was about six feet in 
circumference, and proportionally long : the trunk, with the root 
and all its ramifications and earth about it, was lying in a hori- 
zontal position above the surrounding trees. The largest trees 
upon the island were in this manner. It appeared as if the 
branches had taken root downwards, and drawn the parent tree 
up ; but we could not account for its unseemly position. John 
Adams informed us there were plenty upon the island grow- 
ing in the same manner. 
In the evening, after supper, they entertained us with an 
Otaheitean dance, which consisted of various writhings and dis- 
tortions of the body, by no means obscene, yet in no respect 
pleasant. While some were dancing, the rest sat down to look 
on, in company with six sailors belonging to the ship, when 
suddenly one of the young women jumped up and ran to her 
brother, saying, she would not sit any longer near that naugh- 
ty man (pointing to one of my sailors), for he wanted her to 
commit fornication.'” I asked the man why he behaved so rude 
to people that had treated him so well ? He told me that it was 
by mere accident he put his foot against hers, and that he had 
never spoken to her. After the Otaheitean dance, the sailors 
shewed their abilities in dancing, which excited great laughter 
and diversion. After the dance, we were shewn to bed ; the 
surgeon and myself slept in the same room. We had each of us 
a good feather-bed and clean sheets, made from the bark of a 
