that they had, it at Pelew, and ufed it, with fqup -other
herbs, bruifed together, and mixed with a little chinam .intQ
a pafte, which was applied to the teeth . every morning, in
order to dye them black; the patients lying with their heads
upon the floor, and letting the faliva run out „of their
months.-r-At night, he faid, the pafte was taken away, and
lh®$f permitted to eat a little.—The fame procefs .was
repeated the day following, and five days were neceflary to
complete the operation—-Lee Boo defcribed it as a thing
which gave them a great deal of trouble, and made them
extremely lick.
Both fexes were very expert at fwimming, and appeared,
to be as perfectly at eafe in the water as on land.—The men
were admirable divers; if they law any thing at the bottpm
of the fea which attracted their notice, they would jump
overboard inftantly and bring it up. ^
T H E I R MAR R I A G E& ;
Thefe were probably no more than a civil contract, but.
at the fame time that kind of contrail which was regarded
as inviolable.—They allowed a plurality of wives, but in general
had not more than two; Raa Kook had three; the
King five, though not living together.—They did not appear
to be in any degree jealous of them, permitting them
to partake of all their diverfions. ,
When
T H E P E L E W I S L A N D S , 321
^ h ’erf awomah'was ‘pregfnah t, althou gh Ihe accompanied
her hulband, yet Ihe never llept with him, but alwaf^fepa-
rated; at flight ^anmlps^as uriifoiro|^^^Aifed:M all the
fex, even among the loweft clafs of the inhabitants; and it
was remarked, that the utm’oft4,attention was obferved tonvc^
men in that fituation.—When any Chief appeared with his
two wives, they ufually fat on either fide of the hulband,
and the people;, feemed to pay them no other attention, but
What As ufual in an intefcourfe of
greateft gogd manners prevail,, t-; 6ne;tgf four p,e,dp'®, endeavouring*
;fco make hirpfelf agiep^blgApf A dady.,
ing' to,one of the’ Rupac^; by what-’We i&^h^term a
marked afiiduity, Arra KooKer, with the-’^fateft ci|S^,,
gave him to underlland it was npt right to, £i
| They name the children very foon after ^heytare born;
this is moft probably done without arty petemony.— One of
Abba T hulle’s wives lay-in of a fop,-at Pelew, during the
time our people were at Oroolong ; the-King, hjs
regard for Captain Wilson^named the httle-boy Captain,
and afterwards informed Captain WiLspN' of .the gircum*
fiance,
T t T H E IR