6 0 2 R E M -A K K S o n . t h e
little witty agreeable'ftories of a jovial turn; they Ihew true polite-
nefs and good breeding'in all their manners and, behaviour, and
fpeak very pertinently and wifely on all kinds, of Tubjééts 5 . their
hearts are capable of being melted at the; recital or fight of diftrels
or wretchednefs, and a generous tear never fails to fteal down their
cheeks, the tribute of benevolence and. humanity . In their facial
and feftal meetings, they hâve much finging arid .dancîhg. Their,
females often fit down in final! companies,- and, ling languifhing
fongs, accompanied by motions o f the head and hands expreffive
of,'the fame fentiment, thefe they call Tanger ifaifil,.* or the
complaint of- women..-, Their fongs are not without a regular mea-
fure and harmony, and' they beat time by ftriking their thighs. In
their dances the men Hand in two lines oppbfite to one another ;
their heads are ftuck with feathers and flowers, odoriferous herbs,
han’g from their noies, and from the ears hang down ornaments
made of plaited coco-nut filaments. Th e dances confift: chiefly
in cadenced, harmonic; and uniform motions of. the head, arms,
hands, and feet. T h e chief fometimes holds up a piece of cloth,,
which is given to him who firft can feize it, all the competitors
ftarting at the lame time for it..
6 In
* We have already made ufe of this word, to render our opinion more probable; according
to which the nations of the firft-race o f people in the South Seas are defcended from the
inhabitants of the Caroline Iflands, See p. 400J
H U M A N> s: P E ' C I E s. 603-
In cafe t h e y f l i o u l d be injured b y ' neighbouring focieties or m a n n e r s
1: / v - . ; " ' ' y , ' f ' . COMPARED
tribes, they avenge their wrongs, by war. They chiefly ufe lances
and darts for arms, which are barbed with points -of human bodes,■
and conftantly exercife themfelves in throwing lances and Hones at
a mark. They march up regularly in three lines, the firft con-
fifting o f young men, the fecond thofe o f a middle age, ' and laftly
the old men Hand behind, and no fooner is one o f the firft rank
killed, than the man behind occupies the empty place. Th e y have |
no defenfive weapons, but endeavour to avoid the milfile arms of
the enemy by agility ; their wars are by no means bloody and cruel;
the death of two or three men commonly decides the victory, and
the conquerors announce their conqueft by a loud triumphant Ihout,
and infulting words againft the routed party.
T h e y have an idea of the immortality o f the loul, and o f a ftate
wherein the good are rewarded and the wicked punilhed.. When
common people die, their corpfes are thrown into the lea. But the
bodies o f their deceafed chiefs are painted yellow; the aflembled
people cut locks o f their hair and beards, and throw them on the
corpfe in teftimony of their grief, to which they add in loud voci- ■
feration the praifes o f the dead, and laftly abftain all that day from
eating. After this ceremony the corpfe o f the 'decealed is inclofed
in a fmall Hone apartment in their own houfes, or buried at
fome diftance from their habitations and the fepulcre inclofed in a
4 H 2 ftone
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