Description of the Buildings of Savu. ijq 
The houfes of Savu are all built upon the fame plan, and 
differ only in fize, being large in proportion to the rank and 
riches of the proprietor. Some are four hundred feet long, 
and forne are not more than twenty : they are all raifed upon 
ports, or piles, about four feet high, one end of which is 
driven into the ground, and upon the ocher end is laid a fub- 
Aantial floor of wood, fo that there is a vacant fpace of four 
feet between the floor of the houle and the ground. Upon this 
floor are placed other ports or pillars, that fupport a roof cf 
hoping fldes, which meet in a ridge at the top, like tflofe of 
our bams : the eaves of this roof, which is thatched with palm 
leaves, reach within two feet of the floor, and over-hang it as 
much : the fpace within is generally divided lengthwile into 
three equal parts ; the middle part, or center, is inclofed by a 
partition of four fldes, reaching about fix feet above the floor, 
and one or two fmall rooms are alfo fometimes taken off from 
the fldes, the reft of the fpace under the roof is open, fo as 
freely to admit the air and the light : the particular ufes of 
thefe different apartments, our fliort ftay would not permit us 
to learn, except that the clofe room in the center was appro- 
priated to the women. 
The food of thefe people conflfts of every tame animal in 
"the country, of which the hog holds the firft place in their 
eitimation, and the horfe the fecond ; next to the horfe is the 
buffalo, next to the buffalo their poultry, and they prefer 
dogs and cats to fiieep and goats. They are not fond of filh, 
and, I believe, it is never eaten but by the poor people, nor 
by them, except when their duty or buflnefs requires them |p 
be upon the beach, and then every man is furnifiied with a 
light carting net, which is girt round him, and makes part of 
his drefs ; and with this he takes any fmall fifli which happen 
to come in his way. 
The efculent vegetables and fruits have been mentioned al- 
ready, but the fan-palm requires more particular notice, for 
at certain times it is a fuccedaneum for all other food both to 
ipan and heart. A kind of wine, called toddy, is procured 
from this tree, by cutting the buds which are to produce flow- 
ers, loon after their appearance, and tying under them fmall 
bafkets, made of the leaves, which are fo clofe as to hold li- 
quids 
the banks of the Akanzn, i fiver of North America, which rifes in NewMexico, 
a>id falls into the Miffrfllppi, he relates the following incident : “ '1 he A.kan- 
za’s, fays he, have adopted me, and as a mark of my privilege, have imprint-* 
"J the figure of a roe-buck upon my thigh, which was done in this manner : 
an Indian having burnt fome ftraw, diluted the allies with water, and with 
tf.i . mixture, drew the figure upon my fkin ; he then retraced it, by pricking 
the line; with needle:,, fo as at every puntture juft to draw the blood, and the 
blood mixing' with the aihej of the ftraw, forms a figure which can never be 
tfluced.” See Travels through Louifiana, col* i. p. 107. 
