The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The next morning early, she returned to the fort with her canoe, and
every thing that it contained, putting herself wholly into our power,
with something like greatness of mind, which excited our wonder and
admiration. As the most effectual means to bring about a reconciliation,
she presented us with a hog, and several other things, among which was a
dog. We had lately learnt, that these animals were esteemed by the
Indians as more delicate food than their pork; and upon this occasion we
determined to try the experiment. The dog, which was very fat, we
consigned over to Tupia, who undertook to perform the double office of
butcher and cook. He killed him by holding his hands close over his
mouth and nose, an operation which continued above a quarter of an hour.
While this was doing, a hole was made in the ground about a foot deep,
in which a fire was kindled, and some small stones placed in layers
alternately with the wood to heat; the dog was then singed, by holding
him over the fire, and, by scraping him with a shell, the hair taken off
as clean as if he had been scalded in hot water: he was then cut up with
the same instrument, and his entrails, being taken out, were sent to the
sea, where, being carefully washed, they were put into cocoa-nut shells,
with what blood had come from the body. When the hole was sufficiently
heated, the fire was taken out, and some of the stones, which were not
so hot as to discolour any thing that they touched, being placed at the
bottom, were covered with green leaves. The dog, with the entrails, was
then placed upon the leaves, and other leaves being laid upon them, the
whole was covered with the rest of the hot stones, and the mouth of the
hole close stopped with mould. In somewhat less than four hours it was
again opened, and the dog taken out excellently baked, and we all agreed
that he made a very good dish. The dogs which are here bred to be eaten
taste no animal food, but are kept wholly upon bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts,
yams, and other vegetables of the like kind: all the flesh and fish
eaten by the inhabitants is dressed in the same way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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