The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-01-06

nall nlleu Win TINS slnRular-lOOklng mkss,
some water was poured In by an elderiy-look-
ing native man--the first of the male sex that
we had seen in Charley's housewife pro-
ceeded to knead and mix the mess, and then
to strain 1t through 4 mesh Of the fibres Of
the tapa tree Meantime, the dinner was
placed smoking-hot before US, consisting Of
baked pig, baked turtle-how rich was the
green fat of the latteri-boiled fish, bread
fruit, taro, yams, and sweet-potatoes-a feast
fit for king. First, however, before falling
to, each of the guests was handed a polished
cocoanut-shell, holding about half pint Of
the ava mixture, ,,which-not however, with
out some inward misgivings-we managed to
swallow. The taste was slightly acrid, and
compared it to that of soap-suds. Char
ley's assurance that the chewers were all un-
blemished maidens and had unexceptionable
teeth, may have had something to do with
overcoming our natural scruples to taking
such an outlandish dose. The effect was not
immediate, but came after we had eaten
awhile. Charley said, as soon as we had
drunk our ava, "Pitch in, boys; eat while
you can, for you'll soon feel 1t creep over
you" And SO We did. Eating alternately,
pig and turtle, with interstices of vegetables,
with dessert of rakalolo-a curious COM
pound Of poi and cocoanut milk, served up
warm-and Vakasoso, baked bananas, the
cores Of which had been cut out and refilled
with grated cocoanut, together with species
OF plum peculiar to those islands, called by
the natives ndaod. This is very delicious
fruit, and in all my travels through tropical
regions-they have been many and varied--I
have never met with anything of the fruit
kind that suited my taste SO well 1t Is about
the size of an ordinary peach, but quite
round in shape, with green rind, and In the
centre is a small seed. The flesh is pulpy,
juicy, jelly-like substance, that almost melts
In ones mouth. Besides these, we had the
various kinds of bananas, plantains, rose
apples, mame-apples, (pdpdiGs in Hawaiian
parlance) oranges and shaddocks, and wound
up with some nuts, called by the natives il,
that grow on large, spreading tree, much
resembling the oak In appearance. These
were very pleasant to the taste, though rath-
er oily.
Before we had got through the dessert,
began to feel an odd sensation in my throat,
as though the glands were contracting, and
there was a difficulty-not, however, pain
full one-in swallowing. Then commenceda q
ringing sensation in the ears, and to my ap-
prehension, my head had become suddenly
swollen TO twice its ordinary dimensions,
while everybody and everything that / look
ed at, appeared to be diminished in size. A
person sitting just alongside of me, seemed
to my vision, to be several hundred yards Off,
But the sensation was not by any means an
unpleasant one. On the contrary, felt su-
perlatively comfortable, and 1t was matter
of extreme indifference to me whether there
was any school that day or MOTTO use an
illustration often heard
"Kings may be great, but was glorious,
0er all the Ills Of life victorious"
But few minutes suficed to lay me out
on the mats, not to go to sleep, but to lie
still in very quiet, contemplative mood,
eminently satisfied with myself and all my
surroundings. One of Charley's wives placed
a pillow under my head, and stretched a tau
nan,u-a mosquito-bar, made Of very thin
tapa-over me, and there lay till morning,
dreamily doing for an hour or two in the
first part of the night, and afterwards falling
into deep sleep from which I did not awake,
till at daylight Charley aroused me with an
invitation to join him In another bowl of the
same decoction of the evening before, but
which politely declined. had satisfied
my curiosity and that was enough The rest
of the boats crew were about similarly affec-
ted with myself As for the captain, he
spent the night with the King, who, as soon
as he heard that "Missa Wallis" had arrived,
sent messenger for him. In my next, Twill
give an account Of the town Of Rewa, Its
chiefs and people.
ITO be continued.)