Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/199

1769 washing his hands and mouth, cleaning the cocoanut-shells and putting anything that may be left into the basket again.

It may be thought that I have given rather too large a quantity of provision to my eater, when I say that he has eaten three bread-fruits, each bigger than two fists, two or three fish, fourteen or fifteen plantains or bananas, each, if they are large, six or nine inches long and four or five round, and concluded his dinner with about a quart of a food as substantial as the thickest unbaked custard. But this I do affirm, that it is but few of the many I was acquainted with that eat less, while many eat a good deal more. However, I shall not insist that any man who may read this should believe it as an article of faith; I shall be content if politeness makes him think, as Joe Miller’s friend said: "Well, sir, as you say so, I believe it, but by God, had I seen it myself, I should have doubted it exceedingly."

I have said that they seldom eat together; the better sort hardly ever do so. Even two brothers or two sisters have each their respective baskets, one of which contains victuals, the other cocoanut-shells, etc., for the furniture of their separate tables. These were brought every day to our tents to those of our friends who, having come from a distance, chose to spend the whole day, or sometimes two or three days in our company. These two relations would go out, and sitting down upon the ground within a few yards of each other, turn their faces different ways, and make their meals without saying a word to each other.

The women carefully abstain from eating with the men, or even any of the victuals that have been prepared for them; all their food is prepared separately by boys, and kept in a shed by itself, where it is looked after by the same boys who attend them at their meals. Notwithstanding this, when we visited them at their houses, the women with whom we had any particular acquaintance or friendship would constantly ask us to partake of their meals, which we often did, eating out of the same basket and drinking out of the same cup. The old women, however, would by no