>777- various flourifhes, each of which was accompanied with a -Myay. j r — 1 different attitude of the body, or a different movement. At
firfl, the performers ranged themfelves in three lines; and,
by various evolutions, each man changed his ftation in fuch a manner, that thofe who had been in the rear, came into the front. Nor did they remain long in the fame pofition ;
but thefe changes were made by pretty quick tranfitions. At one time, they extended themfelves in one line; they,
then, formed into a femicircle; and, laftly, into two fquare
columns. While this laft movement was executing, one of
them advanced, and performed an antic dance before me;
with which the whole ended.
The mufical inflruments confided of two drums, or rather two hollow logs of wood, from which fome varied notes were produced, by beating on them with two flicks. It did
not, however, appear to me, that the dancers were much
aflifted or directed by thefe founds, but by a chorus of vocal
mufic, in which all the performers joined at the fame time.
Their fong was not deftitute of pleafing melody; and all
ftkhielilr, cthoarrt etfhpeo nnduinmge rmooutsi obnosd yw eorfe d aenxececurst efde ewmietdh tfoo amil,u cahs
if they were one great machine. It was the opinion of every one of us, that fuch a performance would have met with univerfal applaufe on a European theatre ; and it fo far exctheeedy
efde emaneyd atott epmicqput ew teh ehmafde lvmeas duep toon etnhtee rftuapine rtihoermity, tthheayt had over us. As to our mufical inflruments, they held none r of them in the leait efleem, except the drum; and even
that they did not think equal to their own. Our French
horns, in particular, feemed to be held in great contempt; for neither here, nor at any other of the iflands, would they pay the fmalleft attention to them.
3 In
In order to give them a more favourable opinion of Eng- W'
lifh amufements, and to leave their minds fully impreffed \—
with the deepeft fenfe of our fuperior attainments, I direiled
fome fireworks to be got ready; and, after it was dark, played them off in the prefence of Feenou, the other
Chiefs, and a vail concourfe of their people. Some of the
preparations we found damaged ; but others of them were in excellent order, and fucceeded fo perfectly, as to anfwer the end I had in view. Our water and iky-rockets, in particular,
pleafed and aftonifhed them beyond all conception ;
and the fcale was now turned in our favour.
This, however, feemed only to furniih them with an.
additional motive to proceed to freih exertions of their very lingular dexterity; and our fireworks were no fooner ended, than a fucceflion of dances,, which Feenou had got ready for our entertainment, began. As * a prelude to them, a band of mufic, or Chorus of eighteen men, feated themfelves
before us, in the centre of the circle, compofed by
the numerous fpe&ators, the area of which was to be the
fcene of the exhibitions. Four or five of this band, had pieces of large bamboo, from three to five or fix feet long,
each managed by one man, who held it nearly in a vertical pofition, the upper end open, but the other end clofed by
one of the joints. With this clofe end, the performers kept conflantly ilriking the ground, though ilowly, thus producing
different notes, according to the different lengths of the inflruments, but all of them of the hollow 01; bafe fort; to counteract which, a perfon kept ilriking quickly, and
with two flicks, a piece of the fame fubftance, fplit, and
* Mr. Anderfon’ s account of the night dances being much fuller than Captain
Cook’s, the reader will not be diipleafed that it has been adopted.