358 cook's voyage to june, 



It was observable, that, though the spectators always 

 approved of the various motions, when well made, 

 a great share of the pleasure they received seemed 

 to arise from the sentimental part, or what the 

 performers delivered in their speeches. However, 

 the mere acting part, independently of the sentences 

 repeated, was well worth our notice, both with 

 respect to the extensive plan on which it was ex- 

 ecuted, and to the various motions, as well as the 

 exact unity, with which they were performed. But 

 neither pencil nor pen can describe the numerous 

 actions and motions, the singularity of which was 

 not greater, than was the ease and gracefulness with 

 which they were performed. 



At night we were entertained with the bomcri, 

 or night dances, on a space before Feenou's tem- 

 porary habitation. They lasted about three hours; 

 in which time we had about twelve of them per- 

 formed, much after the same manner as those at 

 Hapaee. But in two that w r ere performed by 

 women, a number of men came and formed a 

 circle within theirs. And, in another, consisting 

 of twenty-four men, there were a number of motions 

 with the hands, that we had not seen before, and 

 were highly applauded. The music was also once 

 changed, in the course of the night; and in one of 

 the dances, Feenou appeared at the head of fifty 

 men who had performed at Hapaee, and he was 

 well dressed with linen, a large piece of gauze, and 

 some little pictures hung round his neck. But it 

 was evident, after the diversions were closed, that 

 we had put these poor people, or rather that they 

 had put themselves, to much inconvenience. For 

 being drawn together on this uninhabited part of 

 their island, numbers of them were obliged to lie 

 down and sleep under the bushes, by the side of 

 a tree, or of a canoe: nay, many either lay down 

 in the open air, which they are not fond of j or 

 walked about all the night. 



