A PICTURESQUE SCENE. 
251 
there was one wild and uncultivated wilderness. A 
pair of cattle, that we had brought from New South 
Wales, with a young calf, all of which had been 
landed from the ship during the morning, were 
tied to an adjacent bread-fruit tree ; two or three 
milch goats from Eimeo, fastened together by 
bands of hibiscus bark tied round their horns, had 
already taken their station on the craggy projec¬ 
tions at the foot of the mountain, and were crop¬ 
ping the herbage that grew in the fissures of the 
rocks. One of our little ones was smiling in the 
lap of its native nurse, while the other was playing 
on the dried grass lying by the side of the boxes 
on which we were sitting, and the natives, under 
the full influence of highly excited curiosity, 
thronged around us in such numbers as to impede 
the circulation of the air. 
Our first effort was to prepare some refreshment. 
The chiefs had sent us a present of bread-fruit and 
fish. A native youth, fourteen or fifteen years of 
age, leaving the crowd, came forward, and asked 
if he should cook us some bread-fruit. We ac¬ 
cepted his offer ; he became a faithful servant, and 
continued with us till we removed from the islands. 
He fixed two large stones in the ground for a fire¬ 
place, and, bringing a bundle of dry sticks from 
the adjacent bushes, lighted a fire between the 
stones, upon which he placed the tea-kettle. 
While he was employed in dressing our bread¬ 
fruit, &c. we removed some of the boxes, piled up 
our luggage as compactly as we could, and, when 
the food was prepared, sat down to a pleasant 
repast of fried fish, bread-fruit, and plantains, 
cocoa-nut milk, and tea. As a beverage, we al¬ 
ways preferred the latter, although the former is 
exceedingly pleasant. 
