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Atacertainseasonoftheyear，whenthefruitofthehundredgrovesofthevalleyhasreacheditsmaturity，andhangsingoldenspheresfromeverybranch，theislandersassembleinharvestgroups，andgarnerintheabundancewhichsurroundsthem。Thetreesarestrippedoftheirnoddingburdens，which，easilyfreedfromtherindandcore，aregatheredtogetherincapaciouswoodenvessels，wherethepulpyfruitissoonworkedbyastonepestle，vigorouslyapplied，intoablendedmassofadoughyconsistency，calledbythenatives“Tutao。“
Thisisthendividedintoseparateparcels，which，afterbeingmadeupintostoutpackages，envelopedinsuccessivefoldsofleaves，andboundroundwiththongsofbark，arestoredawayinlargereceptacleshollowedintheearth，fromwhencetheyaredrawnasoccasionmayrequire。
InthisconditiontheTutaosometimesremainsforyears，andevenisthoughttoimprovebyage。Beforeitisfittobeeaten，however，ithastoundergoanadditionalprocess。Aprimitiveovenisscoopedintheground，anditsbottombeinglooselycoveredwithstones，alargefireiskindledwithinit。Assoonastherequisitedegreeofheatisattained，theembersareremoved，andthesurfaceofthestonesbeingcoveredwiththicklayersofleaves，oneofthelargepackagesofTutaoisdepositeduponthem，andoverspreadwithanotherlayerofleaves。Thewholeisthenquicklyheapedupwithearth，andformsaslopingmound。
TheTutaothusbakediscalled“Amar“；theactionoftheovenhavingconverteditintoanamber-colouredcakysubstance，alittletart，butnotatalldisagreeabletothetaste。
Byanotherandfinalprocessthe“Amar“ischangedinto“Poee-Poee。“Thistransitionisrapidlyeffected。Theamarisplacedinavessel，andmixedwithwateruntilitgainsaproperpudding-likeconsistency，when，withoutfurtherpreparation，itisinreadinessforuse。Thisistheforminwhichthe“Tutao“isgenerallyconsumed。
ThesingularmodeofeatingitIhavealreadydescribed。
Wereitnotthatthebread-fruitisthuscapableofbeingpreservedforalengthoftime，thenativesmightbereducedtoastateofstarvation；for，owingtosomeunknowncause，thetreessometimesfailtobearfruit；andonsuchoccasionstheislanderschieflydependuponthesuppliestheyhavebeenenabledtostoreaway。
Thisstatelytree，whichisrarelymetwithupontheSandwichIslands，andthenonlyofaveryinferiorquality，andatTahitidoesnotaboundtoadegreethatrendersitsfruittheprincipalarticleoffood，attainsitsgreatestexcellenceinthegenialclimateoftheMarquesangroup，whereitgrowstoanenormousmagnitude，andflourishesintheutmostabundance。
INlookingbacktothisperiod，andcallingtoremembrancethenumberlessproofsofkindnessandrespectwhichIreceivedfromthenativesofthevalley，Icanscarcelyunderstandhowitwasthat，inthemidstofsomanyconsolatorycircumstances，mymindshouldstillhavebeenconsumedbythemostdismalforebodings，andhaveremainedapreytotheprofoundestmelancholy。ItistruethatthesuspiciouscircumstanceswhichhadattendedthedisappearanceofTobywereenoughofthemselvestoexcitedistrustwithregardtothesavages，inwhosepowerIfeltmyselftobeentirelyplaced，especiallywhenitwascombinedwiththeknowledgethattheseverymen，kindandrespectfulastheyweretome，were，afterall，nothingbetterthanasetofcannibals。
Butmychiefsourceofanxiety，andthatwhichpoisonedeverytemporaryenjoyment，wasthemysteriousdi
