It was composed of bread-fruit, mangoes, and
bananas, kneaded together into a paste, and cooked upon hot stones.
It was eaten, while warm, with a sauce of orange juice.
On taking leave, the officer gave the girl a present of a dollar to
give her mother; the girl took it as indifferently as if it were not
of the slightest value, and her mother did exactly the same, neither
of them pronouncing one word of thanks, or manifesting the least
sign of satisfaction.
We now and then came upon some portions of the road, the work of
public offenders, that were most excellently constructed. Whenever
an Indian is convicted of a crime, he is not chained in a gang, like
convicts in Europe, but condemned to make or mend a certain extent
of road, and the natives fulfil the tasks thus imposed with such
punctuality, that no overseer is ever necessary. This kind of
punishment was introduced under King Pomare, and originated with the
natives themselves - the Europeans have merely continued the
practice.
At Punavia we entered the fort, where we refreshed ourselves, in
military fashion, with bread, wine, and bacon, and reached our
journey's end at 7 o'clock in the morning.
Besides Papara, I visited also Venus Point, a small tongue of land
where Cook observed the transit of Venus.
