32a
August me) to pay another vifit to the natives. Some of them
met us about half way, and conduced us to the huts.
We were no fooner feated with the father of one of the
families, a middle-aged man, of a promifing countenance,
than our friends importuned us to ling to them again. We
readily complied with their retjueft, and when they feenaed
to wonder, at the difference in our fomgs, we endeavoured
to make them comprehend that we were natives of different
countries. Hearing this, they pointed at an elderly thin
man in the circle of our hearers, and telling ns that he
was a- native of Irromanga *, defired him to fing to us.
The man immediately ftepped forward, and began a fong,.
in the courfe of which he made a variety of geftieulations,
not only to our entertainment, but to the great fatisfadlion
of all the people about him. His fong was to the full as
mufical as that of the people of Tanna,. but it feemed to be
of a droll or humorous nature,, from his various ludicrous
poflures, and from the particular tone of the whole. The
language was utterly diftindl from that of Tanna, but not
haTfh or ill-fuited to mufic. It feemed likewife to have a?
certain metre, but very different from that flow and ferious
one which we heard this morning, It appeared to us,
when he had done finging, that the people of Tanna fpoke
to him in his own language, but that he was not acquainted;
with theirs. Whether he came as a vifitor, or had bee»
* T h e la ft ifland. from whence we came to Tanna.
take»
taken prifoner, we could not determine; the natives how- August.
ever told us upon this occafion, that their bell clubs, made
of cafuarina wood, came from Irromanga, fo that it is
probable they have an amicable intercourfe, or carry on a
kind of trade with the inhabitants of that ifland. We ob-
ferved no remarkable characteriftic difference in his features
from thofe of the people of Tanna, and his cuftom of drefP
ing, or rather ornamenting himfelf was the fame. His
hair was woolly, fhort, and therefore not divided into
little queues. His temper was very chearful, and he appeared
to be more inclined to mirth than any of the people
of Tanna.
Whilft the native of Irromanga was finging, the women
came out of their huts, and feated themfelves in the little
group which furrounded us. They were in general of a
low ftature, compared with the men, and wore fliaggy petticoats,
made of graffes and leaves, which lengthened according
to their age. Such as had borne children, and
feemed to be about thirty years old,, had.,entirely loft all the
feminine graces, and their petticoats defcended to the ancles.
Some young girls, about fourteen years of age, had
very agreeable fmall features, and a ftnile which became
more engaging, in proportion as their fears wore off.
Their whole fornv was flender,. their arms particularly delicate,
but the bofom round and full, and the petticoats
barely reaching to the knee. Their hair curling upon
T t .2 their