more than it healed.
The feast was thus prepared: poultry, sucking-pigs with her, he would sanction everything at oncehe answered. , andpuppies - the last, after being scalded and scraped, werestuffed with vegetables and spices, rolled in plantainleaves, and placed in the ground upon stones already heated.
More stones were then laid over them, and fires lighted onthe top of all. While the cooking was in progress, theKanakas ground TARO roots for the paste called 'poe'; thegirls danced and sang. The songs were devoid of melody,being musical recitations of imaginary love adventures,accompanied by swayings of the body and occasional choralinterruptions, all becoming more and more excited as thestory or song approached its natural climax. Sometimes thiswas varied by a solitary dancer starting from the circle, andperforming the wildest bacchanalian antics, to the vocalincitement of the rest. This only ended with physicalexhaustion, or collapse from feminine hysteria.
The food was excellent; the stuffed puppy was a dish for anepicure. Though knives and forks were unknown,  leaf, one had not the leastobjection to do likewise, for the most scrupulous cleanlinessis one of the many merits of these fascinating creatures.
Before every dip into the leaf, the dainty little fingerswere plunged into bowls of fresh water provided for thepurpose. Delicious fruit followed the substantial fare; asmall glass of KAVA - a juice extracted from a root of thepepper tribe - was then served to all alike. Having watchedthe process of preparing the beverage, I am unable to speakas to its flavour. The making of it is remarkable. A numberof women sit on the ground, chew the root, and spit its juiceinto a bowl. The liquor is kept till it ferments, afterwhich it becomes highly intoxicating. I regret to say thatits potency was soon manifested on this occasion. No soonerdid the poison set their wild blood tingling, than a freefight began for the remaining gourds. Such a scratching,pulling of hair, clawing, kicking, and crying, were neverseen. Only by main force did we succeed in restoring peace.