People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1896 — A MONSTER PUDDING. [ARTICLE]

A MONSTER PUDDING.

It Wm Bailt ob g»n|* Island, In tho Village Lika. I had been ten years on Savage Island and meant to come to England on a visit, says a writer in the Spokane Review, but before leaving went to each village to say "good-by” to the people. We had been three weeks from home when we got to a little village called Llku. The evening after our arrival there was a terrible commotion —men, women and children were running about, carrying stocks, some logs of wood and some big atones. The men began digging a long, shallow trench with their sharp-pointed sticks. The boys brought big stones and firewood. These were piled up all along one side of the trench. The wood was then set on fire and was soon biasing, while the stones on the top were getting hot. While the fire was burning one side little bundles of something white and soft were being undone from the clean leaves that contained them. This was the paste oat of which the pudding wsb to be made. There was no flour, suet, eggs, milk, plums or currants In it. It seas the paste of a native vegetable called taro, and old cocoanut, both grated very fine and mixed together. A long pudding cloth was laid along the Bide of the trench and In It the pudding was carefully wrapped. It was not calico or linen, but nice, clean banana leaves. Over this long cocoanut leaves were plaited. When the Btones were hot enough some were quickly laid along the bottom of the trench, then the long pudding laid on top of them and then lome more stones at the sides and on the top. Some girls had brought heaps of leaves to lay over the top to keep the heat and Bteam In, and the earth which had been dug out of the trenoh was thrown over the top. Then the cooks and pudding-makers went to sleep and left the stars to watch their cookery. Next morning at 8 the whole village was astir—men, women and children, all in holiday attire. It was soon uncovered and was found to be well done. Long poles were brought and laid the whole length. These were fastened to the pudding by small vines, caneß, etc. It waa then rolled out of the trench on one aide; short sticks were made fast cross-wise to the poles and all was ready for taking up. About 100 men and hoys then raised it on their shoulders and with one tremendous shout started toward my house, accompanied by the whole village. I measured it before carving it and! found It was 200 feet long—two feet longer than the monument of London Is high. It was soon carved Into piece* four yards long, and these were distributed all over the land, men carrying as much pudding as their strength would allow to distant villages.