THROUGH HAWAII. 
347 
for a family, when they have planted their field with 
sweet potatoes, &c. to pay a visit for four or five 
months to some friend in a distant part of the island. 
When the crop is ripe they travel home again, and in 
return are most likely visited by a friend, who will not 
think of leaving them so long as any of their provisions 
remain unconsumed. This, however, is only the case 
where friendship has previously existed between the 
parties. A transient visitor on arriving among them 
will generally have an entertainment provided, of which 
the persons who furnish it seldom partake. The family 
with which we lodged were, however, induced to join 
us this evening at supper, though contrary to their ideas 
of propriety. Whenever we have remarked to the na¬ 
tives that their conduct in this respect is unsocial, they 
have usually answered, “ Would it be right for us to 
present food to our friends, and then sit down and eat 
of it ourselves ?” Connected with this, another custom, 
equally at variance with our views of hospitality, is 
practised by the guests, who invariably carry away all 
that remains of the entertainment, however abundant 
it may have been. Hence, whenever a pig, &c. has 
been dressed for us, and our party have finished their 
meal, our boys always put the remainder into their 
baskets, and carried it away. To this we often object¬ 
ed : but they usually replied, “ It is our custom; and 
if we don’t take it, the people will think you are dissa¬ 
tisfied with what they have provided.” 
The entertainment given to strangers or visitors is 
regulated by the means of the host, or the rank of the 
guests. In the Society Islands their feasts were for¬ 
merly characterized by a degreee of prodigality ex¬ 
tremely oppressive to the people who had to furnish 
