( 2[S cook's voyage to fo. 



and struck it with the other, which was smaller, 

 and resembled a drum-stick, in a quicker or slower 

 measure ; at the same time beating with his foot upon 

 the hollow vessel, that lay inverted upon the ground, 

 and thus producing a tune that was by no means dis- 

 agreeable. This music was accompanied by the vocal 

 performance of some women, whose song had a pleas- 

 ing and tender effect, 



We observed great numbers of small polished rods, 

 about four or five feet long, somewhat thicker than 

 the rammer of a musket, with a tuft of long white 

 dog's hair fixed on the small end. These are, pro- 

 bably, used in their diversions. We saw a person 

 take one of them in his hand, and holding it up, give 

 a smart stroke, till he brought it into an horizontal 

 position, striking with the foot, on the same side, 

 upon the ground, and with his other hand beating his 

 breast at the same time. They play at bowls, with 

 pieces of the whetstone mentioned before, of about a 

 pound weight, shaped somewhat like a small cheese, 

 but rounded at the sides and edges, which are very 

 nicely polished \ and they have other bowls of the 

 same sort, made of a heavy reddish brown clay, neatly 

 glazed over with a composition of the same colour, 

 or of a coarse, dark grey slate. They also use, in the 

 manner that we throw quoits, small, flat, rounded 

 pieces of the writing slate, of the diameter of the 

 bowls, but scarcely a quarter of an inch thick, also 

 well polished. From these circumstances one would 

 be induced to think that their games are rather trials 

 of skill than of strength. 



In every thing manufactured by these people, there 

 appears to be an uncommon degree of neatness and 

 ingenuity. Their cloth, which is the principal man- 

 ufacture, is made from the moi^ns papyrifera ; and, 

 doubtless, in the same manner as at Otaheite and Ton- 

 gataboo ; for we bought some of the grooved sticks, 

 with which it is beaten. Its texture, however, though 

 thicker, is rather inferior to that of the cloth of either 



