traveller.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2073, 27 May 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

traveller.

Kanakas and Poi.— Without poi a Hawaiian would uot find life with living. It is his staff of life. Give him poi and with it an occasional allowance of raw iisb as dessert, no matter what may happen, he is happy. He will take it three times a day and oftenor if he can get it, and every day in the year, and always with equal if not increased relish. Indeed, to judge from the way the older ones devour it and to observe the epicurean gratification they experience while doing so, one would imagine that their relish for it was intensified not simply in proportion to the number of times they had partaken of it, but in the ratio of a constantly increasing geometrical progression. This may be a slight exaggeration, but I think it would be difficult to find a Kanaka who would not be disposed to admit that the statement just as it stands, has the best of foundation in fact. Poi is made from the root of the kalo or arum esculentum. The root, which is about the size and shape of a large beat, is baked in an underground oven and then pounded in a hollow stone or board and mixed with water until it has the consistency of printer's paste. It is next laid aside for a few days and allowed to ferment. When ready for use it has a slight sour taste, and is of a pink or lilac color. The taste is uot unlike that of bookbinder's sour paste, and is anything but palatable when one first essays to make a meal of it. But a liking for it, as for a ! - most anything else, is easily acquired, on much is this the case that poi is a favorite dish with many foreigners here, and nearly all of them eat it to a greater or less extent. Eating poi according to native fashion is quite an art, and requires considerable manual, or rather digital, dexterity. The index finger, or this and the second fingertogether, arc dipped into the pastry mess when it is quickly and deftly twirled around them and then elevated above the mouth and allowed to trickle down the throat in a way that simply astonishes any one but a born Kanaka. One unaccustomed to eating it fids way would in attempting to do so inevitably daub it all over his face. It is one of the native arts that requires considerable practice before proficiency is attained, The safer way fur the unpractised hand is to use a fork or spoon. When a fork is used the poi, which is quite vicous, is twisted around the tines of the fork and thus it is convoyed to the mouth without any of the risks consequent upon eating it in Kanaka fashion.

Indian Picture Writing —Suppose a wild Indian belonging to the great clan, whose members call themselves the Tin tic, makes a raid on a village of huts and wigwams owned by cneraeies belonging to the wide-spread clan called the Hear clan. Suppusc it has taken the Turtles three davs of liard travel through forest and over hills to reach the Bear. By means of their crafty spies, they find that the bravo men of "the Bears are away hunting moose, and most of thcsrpiaws and papooses are either in the holds of maize, or in the woods, where the berries are ripe, and only a few old men and women are left behind to keep watch over some ponies and oxen. Then the Turtles, each clutching his bow, creep on the village under cover of the woods, and with a ferritic yell rush at the wigwams. The old people rush into the bushes, frightened almost to death. Then the Turtles gather up all the ponies and oxen, drive them off, burn ad the wigwams they can, and hurry home with the cattle. Now, these savages think 111 :v have done a fine thing in robbing, plumb ing and burning, and wish to let other Indians know what clever robbers they have been. So the Turtle chief selects a piece of smooth, cream colored birch bark, chews up a little tobacco to serve as ink, with a twig of soft wood for a pen, and draws (he following pictures :

First comes a turtle, and it is a very big turtle, because he thinks that he and his clan arc very great personages indeed. Then he draws as many waving lines, to represent hows, as there are Indians in his party, and perhaps (lie same number of Indians with top-knots; his lines bend forward to show in what direction the trail went. Following there, a rising sun stands for daybreak, and throe lines under it indicate (hat three days went by in going to the bears. Xexl ho puts down as many funny little pyramids as there were wigwams, and draws them upside down to show that they were destroyed. After that tie draws, as well as he can, a wee, wee bear, very small, in order to show his contempt for the Bears. Finally, he draws with the greatest care as many oxen and ponies as he has .captured, because he is chiefly proud of this part of the exploit and wishes all the world of the woods to know what a great and successful robber he is. He does not tell that the Bear braves were away when he surprised the camp, and probably does not care to tell that part of the story, We may understand by the absence of any sign for scalps. Had there been resistance and men slain on either side, the exact number of dead would have been noted by drawing just as many human figures without their heads.

Shark Hunting in Madagascar-—The sharks which abound on tne east coast, and make such extensive depredations upon the cattle in course of shipment on hoard the vessels waiting to transport them tcMuritina and Bourbon, are occasionally captured by the people. Notwithstanding the terror in which they hold them the young men occasionaly go on a shark-hunting expedition. Having discovered one they dive under it, and before it has the time to turn upon its back, use the long, sharp knife they carry to such good purpose that before it has realised its danger, it is secured. It is allii mod among the Malagasy that some of theirpeoplcc.au go into the water, on discovering a shark, and with nothing in hand but a piece of stick about a foot in length, armed with a point at each end, can accomplish its destruction. Watching till one of the monsters, with its two or three rows ot teeth, is just about to attack him with his widely extended jaws, the native with his iron-pointed stick the opportunity, and with a coolness they do not exhibit on shore, ias Tts his hand and arm into the mouth of the creature, an 1 transuxes its jaws by implanting the stick crosswise in its mouth. The more the shark tries by snapping to disengage the weapon, the more deeply it onion, and in savage and painful fury if seeks th • bottom. But while plunging in maddened terror an i pain if fails to obtain refief, and is at last c emile'cly exhausted. In a day or two its body is wash'd ashore and the inhabitants secure and divide its carcass for food. I have never seen this feat pufonu'd, and am a little doubtful of its reality ; hut I give it as given to me.

A Hint to Travellers in Ireland The Irish tourist should aff.,ct unruffled equanimity if he is not fortunalc to possess it, and when he is most strongly tempted to swear hn must crush down Hep ,-inful inclination. In which case the triumph <-f virtue or of hypocrisy wifi be pri.iuiiriy end amply rewarded, and he will be o uvin. 1 that the immortal Bacon was right when hj > pronounced travel an important part of •hteation. For although Paddy, lik-- his own pigs, is bad to drive, yet. if you only take him the right way, nothing in the world is m..re easy than - to put the cnnielher oy.-i- him," especially it you keep scattering y..:ii- shillings broadcast. Never hurry hint at first, and lie will get into a shuffling gallop of Ids own accord. He is naturally brisk, but he hates being bustled, Patriotically and on public grounds he may regard the Saxon as an enemy, but personally lie respects him as the distributor of tip?.

A marked man— the fellow who sits dpwii newly-painted doorstep.