4oo
*773*
Settembep
white, refted on their hips, being tied on with a firing; and
from thence a great quantity of white cloth defcended to
the feet, forming an ample petticoat, which we expefte ,
from its length, would be a confiderable impediment to
their agility, as it fairly trailed on the ground on all fides.
The neck fhoulders, and arms were left uncovered, but
the head was ornamented with a kind of turban, about
eight inches high, made of feveral fkains of plaited human
hair, which they call tamow. Thefe being -laid above each
other in circles, which enlarged towards the top, there was
a deep hollow left in the middle, which they had filled up
with a great quantity of the fweet-fcented flowers of the
( g a r d e n i a ) Cape jafmine. But all the front of the turban was
ornamented with three or four-rows of a fmall white flower,
which formed little flats, and had as elegant an effeft on
the jetty black hair as if it had been fet out with pearls.
They moved to the found of the drums, and to all appearance
under the diredion of an old man, who danced with
them and pronounced feveral words, which, from the
tone of his voice, we took to be a fong. Their attitudes
and geftures were much varied, and fomedmes might ad-
mit of being conftrued into wantonnefs; but they were entirely
free from that pofitive degree of grofs indecency
which the chafte eyes of Englifh ladies of fafhion art forced
to behold at the opera. The movement of their arms is
certainly very graceful, and the continual gefticulation of
their
their fingers has fomething extremely elegant. The only seftemper,
aftion which gives offence to all our ideas of gracefulnefs
and harmony, is the frightful cuftom of writhing their
mouths into the ftrangeft diftortions, which it was impof-
fible for any one of us to imitate. They fcrewed their
mouth into a flanting direftion, and at laft threw the lips
into a waving or undulated form, which feemed to us to
be performed by means o f an habitual and fudden convul-
fion. After they had danced for about ten minutes, they
retired into the part of the houfe which I called their dreff-
ing-room, and five men, dreffed in mats, took their place,
performing a kind of drama. This confifted of dancing in
an indecent manner, and of a dialogue which had fome
cadence, and in which they fometimes pronounced a few
words fhouting all together. This dialogue feemed to be
clofely connected with their aftions. One of them kneeled
down, and another beat him and plucked him by the
beard, repeating the fame ceremony with two others; but
the laft feized and beat him in his turn with a flick. After
this they withdrew, and the drummers gave notice of the
fecond aft of dancing, which the two ladies performed
with little variation from the firft. The men took their
turn a fecond time; the ladies fucceeded them again, and
concluded with a fourth aft. Then they fat down to reft
themfelves, appearing fatigued to a great degree, and in a
moft profufe perfpiration ; one of them in particular, being
- V ol. I. E f f rather