40

FOOD OF THE NATIVES.

CHAPTER XIX.

Food of the Natives of the Sandwich Islands-Card-party-The five Queens-M. Manine's Gardens--Dram-shops-A Sorcerer-Sandal-wood-Candle-nut Strings-Conversations of Auna and his Wife with the Natives of Oahu-Taumuarii, King of Tauai-Town of Honolulu-Murderous Practices of the Shark-worshippers-Yellow Fever-Cannibalism-A rich Negro Resident-Excursions among the Mountains-Method of carrying Burthens-Volcanic Crater-Distillery-Traditions-Animals.

April 17. We waited upon the king, and found him surrounded by his usual attendants, loitering and looking about with vacant eyes, or humming a low, dull, monotonous air without melody, as though they knew not what to do with themselves. Two of his queens were rather more amusingly employed. Each had made a small pipe of the tii-leaf rolled up; holding up this in the hollow between her hands, globularly clasped, the lady blew into the little instrument, which, as she opened and closed her fingers upon it, produced a few squeaking notes, like those of a child's trumpet. With such music, however, the royal dames appeared surprisingly delighted. The king expressed his gratitude for the present of the schooner, by giving our two captains quarters in his own residence, while on shore here, and engaging to furnish both ships' companies with provisions during their stay in the harbor.

Walking along the beach to-day, we observed some persons gathering the slender green sea-weed from the rocks for food. In one of the houses which we entered, à man was eating small crabs alive. In another place they had just killed a dog, and were dressing the carcass for the oven by singing and scraping off the hair. These people in general are very gross feeders. When a hog, which the king had sent on board, was slaughtered, on the entrails being thrown into the sea, some natives, from the shore, instantly plunged into the water, swam to the ship's side, and had a stiff struggle in the water for the prize. Those who were fortunate enough to secure portions of it, after a hasty rinsing of the contents, greedily devoured the garbage. Fish in general, as well as crabs and shrimps, they seem to make no difficulty of eating raw, and frequently alive.

In the house of one of the queens, where our Tahitian friends are accommodated, we found three women and a man

THE FIVE QUEENS.

41

playing at cards (whist), for money, with all the cool, keen interest, and stern self-possession, of inveterate gamblers. One of the persons sitting by said that these games often ended in quarrels, when not hands only, but clubs, were furiously employed. He confessed that it was a bad custom, but that they knew no better, not having received "the good word," as the Tahitians had. One of the queens coming in threw herself upon the floor, yet with an air of no unconscious superiority, and professed a desire to learn the things which had been taught to the South Sea islanders, observing, that if the king would give his consent they should all be willing to be taught. Two of these illustrious females were seen the other day riding in one large wheel-barrow. After being pushed along by main force, for a few paces at a time, by two stout men, the latter were repeatedly obliged to rest and take breath, at which nobody would wonder who knew what a weight of royalty they had in charge. Their majesties vastly enjoyed the novelty, if not the pleasantness, of the motion; this being, probably, the only kind of carriage in which they had ever taken the air. Soon afterwards the same ladies were strenuously exercising themselves in fetching bundles of rushes, upon their naked backs, from the swamps, to strew the floors of their habitations, and felt themselves as unashamed of their honest labor, in this instance, as of degrading amusement in the other. This example of feminine industry was the more remarkable, because the chiefs here affect to be above all kinds of drudgery, and never suffer their children to do any thing like work.

In the afternoon we visited M. Maniné, a Spaniard, who has resided here thirty years. This person occupies three acres of ground, which he has, with great taste, laid out as a garden, vineyard, and orchard; and in which trees, plants, and fruit of European growth, have been very successfully cultivated. The vines, in particular, trained after the Spanish fashion in bushes, flourish luxuriantly. The proprietor tells us that they would bear three crops in the year, though he prudently prevents the third, lest it should too much exhaust the stocks. Figs and roses, neither of which we had seen in the Society Islands, have been also introduced by him, and promise well. In the village, observing several houses over which small flags, raised on poles, were flying, it was natural to suppose that these buildings were tabued for some sacred purpose.

On inquiry, however, it turned out that

they were dram-shops, where spirits, distilled from the tii-root, were sold to sailors. It was not, however, denied that natives, as well as foreigners, might be accommodated with the luxury. of this slow poison, if they could afford to pay the price of self-destruction by such means; and, unhappily, among the highest class, there are not a few who sacrifice health and life itself to an infatuated passion for strong drink.

April 18. A system of sorcery, similar to that which formerly existed in the Society Islands, yet prevails here, though virtually abolished with the idolatry on which it was engrafted. The adepts in this black art pretended to have power to pray their victims to death; and it is probable that many a one may have died from fear of such an apprehended death. Some time ago, one of these impostors entered the house of Mr. Young, in Hawaii, with an eye to pillage. Being surprised, by the owner, in the fact, he endeavored to escape through the window, which proving too small, he was caught in it, as in a trap, and received upon the spot the chastisement which he had taken such unlucky pains to deserve. Under the infliction of a severe cudgelling, he suddenly fell down and affected to be dead. The neighbors, who had collected round the house, were shocked and terrified at the audacity of Mr. Young in daring to lay violent hands upon so dangerous an opponent as the conjuror, and expected that some dreadful judgment would fall upon him for the deed. Mr. Young himself, however, felt no such fear, knowing better with what a subtle knave he had to deal than his countrymen did. Instead, therefore, of leaving him for dead, he quickly revived him by a few more well-directed strokes of the stick, on the unexpected application of which the rogue jumped up and ran off, but not without threatening to pray his castigator to death. Accordingly he retired among the mountains, erected a marae to his familiar demon, and commenced his incantations. The natives, day after day, looked for the sudden destruction of Mr. Young, but, in the meantime, the sorcerer himself came to a miserable end. It was then currently believed that Mr. Young had prayed him to death, by his skill in the counter art, which is professed here as well as in Tahiti. This gave him great influence and authority over an ignorant and superstitious people, who have such terror of these magic imprecations, that, in various instances, where captains of ships have been plundered of valuable property, by visitors from the shore, they have threatened to pray the

thieves to death, in case the same was not immediately brought back, and the menace has generally been sufficient to save them from the alternative of trusting to the efficacy of their prayers.

The most precious commodity, for commerce, produced in these islands, is sandal-wood, which grows on the highest mountains. The king monopolizes the property of these trees, and requires his subjects, at their own cost and toil, to cut and bring down the supplies, as they are wanted, to the coast. Latterly he has permitted some of his more favored chiefs to share with him in this traffic. The wood, which is used by the Chinese, for its agreeable fragrance, in the manufacture of fans and other toys, as well as burnt by them for incense before their household deities, is exported to Canton, and the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, in vessels belonging to the king himself, or in foreign bottoms. On one occasion, we saw nearly two thousand persons, laden with fagots of sandalwood, coming down from the mountains to deposit their burthens in the royal store-houses, and then depart to their homes, wearied with their unpaid labors, yet unmurmuring at their bondage. In fact, the condition of the common people is that of slaves; they hold nothing which may not be taken from them by the strong hand of arbitrary power, whether exercis-ed by the sovereign or a petty chief.

Near the shore, where the bulk of the population reside, on the level ground, are many fish-ponds belonging to the chiefs. These are as carefully preserved for the use of their owners as though they were guarded by game-laws. The fish are taken by means of a deleterious composition, made from a native shrub, and moulded into little balls, which being thrown into the water, are eagerly devoured, and have such an intoxicating effect upon the fishes, that they come up to the surface, where they float powerless, and are easily collected by the hand. There are many wild cattle in the sequestered valleys and on the hills in these islands. We have seen a large herd of cows, belonging to the king, which thrive well upon the abundant pasturage. Some horses, asses, and sheep are also kept, but in no great numbers, nor are they as yet turned to any particular account.

In the cottages we often observe long strings of candle-nuts suspended from the rafters. The kernels of these, being cut into the form of convex lenses, about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, and a third of an inch thick, are stuck one over

44

FIRST SERMON PREACHED IN OAHU.

another, like beads, upon a fibre of cocoa-nut leaf, a foot long; and containing a considerable proportion of inflammable oil, they give sufficient light for ordinary purposes, the flame communicating downward till the last piece is consumed. Sometimes five or six such strings, two yards in length, are wrapped together in a leaf of banana, and carried before the king, as flambeaux, when he travels by night.

This evening Mr. Ellis preached, to our Tihitian friends, in the chapel of the American missionaries. The king, three of his queens, and most of the native grandees, were present, besides a great number of people, who not only filled the place, but crowded round the doors and windows, to see and hear what they could. The scene was strange to us, and might have seemed ludicrous, but for the affecting thought that this was an heathen audience to whom an unknown God was about to be declared. Paul's audience on Mars' Hill, no doubt presented a very different aspect to the eye; but whether the intellectual Athenians, whose "city was wholly given up to idolatry," or these untaught natives of the north Pacific, who had voluntarily cast away "their gods, which were yet no gods," appeared more pitiable objects in the sight of Him who "seeth not as man seeth-for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart,"we presume not to judge. Rihoriho sat upon a chair in the middle of the chapel; the queens reclined on the floor at his feet; and each of these members of the royal family had servants in attendance with fly-flaps and fans of peacock's feathers, to cool their faces and drive away the troublesome insects. The king seemed greatly surprised at the singing of our Tahitian friends; the sweetness, compass, and variety of their notes being new and almost marvellous to ears, like his, accustomed only to the wretched music, vocal and instrumental, of his country, which is probably as little worthy of the name as any artificial combination of dead or living sounds under heaven. To the sermon, also, he listened with apparently pleased attention; once or twice he smiled, and it was evident that he understood (from the similarity of dialects) the greater part of what was said. In the course of the service several of the chiefs, wearied or caring nothing about the matter, flung themselves upon their backs on the floor, lolling or dozing with utter indifference. At the close the king stood up, wheeled round, and, swinging his stick about with an air of barbarian dignity, marched out, followed by all his train.