"From all we have seen, I'm inclined to
think that some of the savages must have dwelt here long ago."
We found no small difficulty in making up our minds how we were to cook
the pig. None of us had ever cut up one before, and we did not know
exactly how to begin; besides, we had nothing but the axe to do it
with, our knife having been forgotten. At last Jack started up and
said--
"Don't let us waste more time talking about it, boys.--Hold it up,
Peterkin. There, lay the hind-leg on this block of wood--so;" and he
cut it off, with a large portion of the haunch, at a single blow of the
axe. "Now the other--that's it." And having thus cut off the two
hind-legs, he made several deep gashes in them, thrust a sharp-pointed
stick through each, and stuck them up before the blaze to roast. The
wood-pigeon was then split open, quite flat, washed clean in salt water,
and treated in a similar manner. While these were cooking, we scraped
a hole in the sand and ashes under the fire, into which we put our
vegetables, and covered them up.
The taro-root was of an oval shape, about ten inches long and four or
five thick. It was of a mottled-grey colour, and had a thick rind. We
found it somewhat like an Irish potato, and exceedingly good. The yam
was roundish, and had a rough brown skin. It was very sweet and well
flavoured. The potato, we were surprised to find, was quite sweet and
exceedingly palatable, as also were the plums; and, indeed, the pork
and pigeon too, when we came to taste them.
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