Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/208

198 the island, and the family to whom he belonged seemed to have some actual feeling for him, but worked him unmercifully, and except on that occasion did not give him sufficient food.

Time wore on amid hunger and thirst and hard work, and still no permission to see the other men. He suffered constantly for fresh water, there being little or none on the island, the natives quenching their thirst with eating the succulent taro, or poi, and drinking cocoanut milk. Holden, not having enough of these, learned to eat certain leaves, which furnished juice and stimulated saliva. He was threatened with death from flux, and looking among the leaves wondered if some of them might not relieve him, and found that they did.

To show his misery from insufficiency of food, he tells of eating raw fish on the sly. He was required one morning to follow his master to a special fishing place where a species solely for the use of the women was taken. These were to be for his master's wife, who was spending certain time at the tahboo house of the women. The master went ahead and, dipping his net, brought up one fish—a small sort, but a finger or so in length. This, however, was given Holden to carry; and presently another was taken, which was also given him. The temptation to eat was irresistible, and with one or two swallows it was gone. A number of others were taken and the theft—if it might be so called—was not discovered. Besides that fish he tasted no animal food on the island, except a bite of turtle. This was given him by a priest. But one turtle was caught while he was on the island, and this was the perquisite of the priests. While they were eating he could not restrain his hunger, and sat down, like any other beggar, on his haunches, and begged for a morsel. For a long time the priest gave him no notice, but at last deigned to cast him a fragment from