86 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
chief came down to invite me to the public square, the general 
place in all their villages for the reception of strangers. Shortly 
after our arrival the women and girls assembled from all quarters 
of the town, dressed out in all their finery to meet us; they were 
here free from all the restraints imposed by the taboos and were 
abundantly annbinted with the oil of the cocoa-nut, and their skins 
well bedaubed with red and yellow paint, as w*as their clothing; 
some were also smeared with greenish paint, the object of which I 
found on inquiry, was to preserve the fairness and beauty of the 
skin, and indeed of this they seemed to take particular pains, 
every one of them being furnished with a kind of umbrella, form¬ 
ed of a bunch of palm leaves, to shield them from the effects 
of the sun: their care and attention in this particular had ren¬ 
dered them far superior in point of beauty to the females of our 
valley, and the difference was so striking as to make them appear 
a distinct people. Some of the girls, probably in compliment to 
us, or to render themselves more attractive in our eyes, cleansed 
themselves (by washing in the stream) of their oil and paint, 
threw aside their bedaubed clothing, and soon appeared neatly 
clad in cloth of the purest white; and I can say, without exaggera¬ 
tion, that I never have seen women more perfectly beautiful in 
form, features, and complexion, or that had playful innocence 
more strongly marked on their countenances or in their manners; 
all seemed perfectly easy and even graceful, and all strove by 
their winning attentions, who should render themselves most pleas¬ 
ing to us. The girls formed a circle round us, and those of a 
more advanced aged were seated outside of them; the men show¬ 
ed us every kind attention, and strove to convince us of their 
friendship by bringing us cocoa-nuts, and cooking for us hogs and 
bread-fruit after their manner, which were found excellent. The 
manner of cleansing and cooking their hogs is as follows; a hole 
of a convenient size is dug in the ground, the bottom and sides of 
which arc lined with stones, a fire is then made in it and the whole 
covered with more stones. The hog is then strangled, and when 
the stones are sufficiently heated is drawn backwards and forwards 
on them to remove the bristles, which, by this practice, is easily 
taken off; he is then taken to the stream and there gutted and 
washed clean; the upper layer of stones and fire are then remov- 
