A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
On the 4th, a party of us dined ashore with Omai, who gave excellent
fare, consisting of fish, fowls, pork, and puddings. After dinner, I
attended Otoo, who had been one of the party, back to his house, where
I found all his servants very busy getting a quantity of provisions
ready for me. Amongst other articles, there was a large hog, which
they killed in my presence. The entrails were divided into eleven
portions, in such a manner that each of them contained a bit of every
thing. These portions were distributed to the servants, and some
dressed theirs in the same oven with the hog, while others carried
off, undressed, what had come to their share. There was also a large
pudding, the whole process in making which, I saw. It was composed
of bread-fruit, ripe plantains, taro, and palm or pandanus nuts, each
rasped, scraped, or beat up fine, and baked by itself. A quantity of
juice, expressed from cocoa-nut kernels, was put into a large tray or
wooden vessel. The other articles, hot from the oven, were deposited
in this vessel; and a few hot stones were also put in to make the
contents simmer. Three or four men made use of sticks to stir the
several ingredients, till they were incorporated one with another, and
the juice of the cocoa-nut was turned to oil; so that the whole mass,
at last, became of the consistency of a hasty-pudding. Some of these
puddings are excellent; and few that we make in England equal them. I
seldom or never dined without one when I could get it, which was not
always the case. Otoo's hog being baked, and the pudding, which I
have described, being made, they, together with two living hogs, and
a quantity of bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, were put into a canoe, and
sent on board my ship, followed by myself, and all the royal family.
The following evening, a young ram, of the Cape breed, that had been
lambed, and with great care brought up on board the ship, was killed
by a dog. Incidents are of more or less consequence, as connected with
situation. In our present situation, desirous as I was to propagate
this useful race amongst these islands, the loss of the ram was a
serious misfortune; as it was the only one I had of that breed; and I
had only one of the English breed left.
In the evening of the 7th, we played off some fireworks before a great
concourse of people. Some were highly entertained with the exhibition;
but by far the greater number of spectators were terribly frightened;
insomuch, that it was with difficulty we could prevail upon them to
keep together to see the end of the shew. A table-rocket was the last.
It flew off the table, and dispersed the whole crowd in a moment; even
the most resolute among them fled with precipitation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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