48 cook's voyage to skpt. 



end of the show. A table-rocket was the last. It 

 flew off the table, and dispersed the whole crowd in 

 a moment ; even the most resolute among them fled 

 with precipitation. 



The next day a party of us dined with our former 

 ship-mate, Oedidee, on fish and pork. The hog 

 weighed about thirty pounds ; and it may be worth 

 mentioning, that it was alive, dressed, and brought 

 upon the table, within the hour. We had but just 

 dined, when Otoo came, and asked me if my belly 

 was full ? On my answering in the affirmative, he 

 said, " Then come along with me." I accordingly 

 went with him to his father's, where I found some 

 people employed in dressing two girls with a pro- 

 digious quantity of fine cloth, after a very singular 

 fashion. The one end of each piece of cloth, of 

 which there was a good many, was held up over the 

 heads of the girls, while the remainder was wrapped 

 round their bodies, under the arm-pits. Then the 

 upper ends were let fall, and hung down in folds to 

 the ground, over the other, so as to bear some re- 

 semblance to a circular hoop-petticoat. Afterward, 

 round the outside of all, were wrapped several pieces 

 of differently coloured cloth, which considerably in- 

 creased the size ; so that it was not less than five or 

 six yards in circuit, and the weight of this singular 

 attire was as much as the poor girls could support. 

 To each were hung two tetanies, or breast-plates, by 

 way of enriching the whole, and giving it a pictur- 

 esque appearance. Thus equipped, they were con- 

 ducted on board the ship, together with several hogs, 

 and a quantity of fruit, which, with the cloth, was a 

 present to me from Otoo's father. Persons, of either 

 sex, dressed in this manner, are called atee ; but, I 

 believe, it is never practised, except when large pre- 

 sents of cloth are to be made. At least, I never saw it 

 practised upon any other occasion ; nor, indeed, had 

 I ever such a present before ; but both Captain Gierke 

 and I had cloth given to us afterward, thus wrapped 



