88 
VOYAGE TO THE 
CHAP, good substitute for bread, as well as the bananas, plantains, and 
appai. Their common beverage is pure water, but they made for us a 
Dec. tea, extracted from the tee-plant, flavoured with ginger, and sweetened 
with the juice of the suga.r-cane. When alone, this beverage and 
fowl soup are used only for such as are ill. They seldom kill a 
pig, but live mostly upon fruit and vegetables. The duty of saying 
grace was performed by John Euffet, a recent settler among them, 
and their clergyman ; but if he was not present, it fell upon the eldest 
of the company. They have all a great dislike to spirits, in consequence 
of MCoy having killed himself by too free an indulgence in it ; but 
wine in moderation is never refused. With this simple diet, and being 
in the daily habit of rising early, and taking a great deal of exercise in 
the cultivation of their grounds, it was not surprising that we found 
them so athletic and free from complaints. When illness does occur, 
their remedies are as simple as their manner of living, and are limited 
to salt water, hot ginger tea, or abstinence, according to the nature of 
the complaint. They have no medicines, nor do they appear to require 
any, as these remedies have hitherto been found sufficient. 
After their noontide meal, if their grounds do not require their 
attention, and the weather be fine, they go a little way out to sea 
in their canoes, and catch fish, of which they have several kinds, 
large, and sometimes in abundance ; but it seldom happens that they 
have this time to spare ; for the cultivation of the ground, repairing 
their boats, houses, and making fishing-lines, with other employments, 
generally occupy the whole of each day. At sunset they assemble at 
prayers as before, first offering their orison and thanksgiving, and then 
chaunting hymns. After this follows their evening meal, and at an 
early hour, having again said their prayers, and chaunted the evening 
hymn, they retire to rest ; but before they sleep, each person again 
offers up a short prayer upon his bed. 
Such is the distribution of time among the grown people ; the 
younger part attend at school at regular hours, and are instructed in 
reading, writing, and arithmetic. They have very fortunately found 
an able and willing master in John Buffet, who belonged to a ship 
which visited the island, and was so infatuated with their behaviour. 
