4 ^ 8 A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
„ 2lu- will admire an elegant flowing robe which involves the
whole head and body, in an ifland where the women very
rarely cover the ihoulders and breall; and he will be
ftruck with awe and delight by the figure of a divine old
man, with a long white beard, though all the people of
Ea-oowhe fhave themfelves with mufcle-fhells.
We foon left the landing-place, and followed the chief,
who invited us up into the country. The ground from the
water’s, fide rofe fomewhat fieep for a few yards, above
which it flattened into a beautiful green lawn, furrouhded
by tall trees and tufted fhrubberies, and open only to the
fea. At the bottom of it, which might be about one hundred
yards from the landing-place, we faw a very neat
well-looking houfe, of which the roof Hoped down within
two feet of the ground. - We advanced acrofs the delightful
green, which was fo fmooth, that it put us in mind
of the fineft fpots in England, and were entreated to fit
down in the houfe, which was moft elegantly laid out with
mats of the beft workmanfhip. In one corner of it we
faw a moveable partition of wicker-work Handing upright,
and, from the figns of the natives colle&ed, that it feparated
their bed-place. The roof, Hoping down on all fides, was
formed of a great number of fpars and round flicks very
firmly connected, and covered with a fort of matting made
of banana leaves.
We
A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD. 429,
We were no fooner feated in the houfe, furrounded by ywit,
a confiderable number of natives, not lefs than a hundred,
than two or three of the women welcomed us with a Long,
which, though exceedingly Ample, had a very pleafing ef~
fe6l, and was highly mufical when compared to the Tahei-
tian fongs. They beat time to it by fnapping the fecond
finger and thumb, and holding the three remaining fingers
upright. Their voices were very fweet and mellow, and
they fung in parts. When they had done they were relieved
by others, who fung they fame tune, and at laft
they joined together in chorus. A very ingenious gentleman,
who was on this voyage with us, has favoured me
with one of the tunes which he heard in this ifland, which
may ferve as a fpecimen to the mufical part of my readers.
In this little fpecimen the mulic is in the minor key, (a flat
third.) They varied the four notes without ever going
lower than A or higher than E ; finging them rather flow,
and fometimes ending with the chord — .
t
The kindnefs of the people was exprefied in every look
and gefture, and they freely offered us fome coco-nuts, of
which we found the liquor very palatable. We were like-
wife regaled with a moft delicious perfume in this place,
which the breeze wafted towards us. It was a confiderable
time