i;74- which he wore as a nofe-jewel. Before he delivered it, August.
he wafhed it in the fea, whether from a principle of clean-
linefs, or not, we cannot determine. During the whole
time of our flay on fhore this morning, the natives did not
attempt to moleft or attack u s ; and thofc on our left feemed
very well difpofed, and gave us hopes, that we might efta-
blifh a friendly intercourfe with them in a fhort time. As
we now faw a great part of the inhabitants of this ifland
aflembled, we had the beft opportunity of forming an
adequate idea of their general habit of body, their drefs
and arms. They are of the middle-flzed ftature, but many
among them may be reckoned tall. Their limbs are well
made, and rather Render ; fome are likewife very flout and
ftrong; but thofe beautiful outlines, which are fo frequent
among the people of the Society and Friendly Iflands, and
of the Marquefas, are rarely to be met with at Tanna.
I did not obferve one Angle corpulent man among them?
all are aftive, and full of fpirit. Their features are large,
the nofe broad, but the eyes full, and in general agreeable.
Moft of them have an open, manly, and good-natured
air, though fome may likewife be found, as in other nations,
whofe countenance betrays malevolence. The colour
of their hair is black ; however, we obferved fome which
had brown or yellowifh tips. It grew very thick and
bufliy, and in generally frizzled ; but in a few individuals,
it ftill preferved a degree of woollinefs. The beard is likewife
wife thick, black, and frizzled. The colour of their whole august.
body is a dark chefnut brown, which is frequently mixed
with a blackifh hue, fo that it appears at flrft fight, as if it
were fullied with foot ; and their Ikin is extremely foft to
the touch, as is obferved to be the cafe with Negroes. They
almoft go perfectly naked; but, true to the general charac-
teriftic of mankind, wear feveral forts of ornaments. They
drefs their hair after the following method I they take a
quantity, not exceeding a pigeon’s quill in thicknefs, and
wrap it in a thin thread or ribbon, made of the flalk of a
bindweed, fo that only a fmall tuft remains at the end.
All the hair on the head is difpofed exaftly in the fame
manner, fo that they have feveral hundred queues, three or
four inches lohg, Handing an end, and diverging every
way,
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine. . Shakespeare.
If thefe parcels are a little longer, from five to eight or
nine inches, they hang down on both fldes of the head,
and in that cafe, the wearer ftrongly refembles a river-god,
with his lank hair all foaked and dripping. Some however,
and particularly thofe who have woolly hair, let it
grow without torturing it into any particular form, or, at
fartheft, tie it in a bunch on the crown of the head with a
leaf. Moft of them wear a thin flick or reed, about nine
inches long, in their hair, with which they occaflonally
difturb the vermin that abound in their heads. A reed
N n 2 fet