NATIVE LADIES ON BOARD. 271 



differs from the common sort in being* much finer in 

 texture and workmanship^ besides being- dyed red and 

 green^ with intermediate bands of straw colour and 

 broad Avhite stripes of pahn-leaf. It is made of long- 

 bunches of very lig'ht and soft shreds^ like fine twisted 

 g'rass^ apparently the prepared leaf of a calamus or 

 rattan. None of the women that I saw possessed 

 even a moderate share of beauty (according- to our 

 notions) althoug'h a few had a pleasing* expression and 

 others a ver}' g-raceful fig-ure^ but^ on the other hand_, 

 man}' of the boys and young* men were striking-ly 

 handsome. We had no means of forming- a judg*- 

 ment reo-ardino- the condition of the ^\-omen in a 

 social state^ but they appeared to be treated by the 

 men as equals and to exercise considerable influence 

 over them. On all occasions they Avere the loudest 

 talkers^ and seemed to act from a perfect rig'ht to 

 have every thing* their own wa}^ It is worthy of 

 mention^ that^ even in their oaaii villag-e^ and on all 

 other occasions Avhere we had an opportunity of 

 observing* them^ they acted with perfect propriety_, 

 and althouo-h some indecent allusions were now and 

 then made by the men, this was never done in the 

 presence of the women. Of their marriages Ave could 

 find out nothing*^— one man appeared to have two 

 Avives^ but even this Avas doubtful. The circum- 

 stance of children being- daily brought off' by their 

 fathers to look at the ship^ and the strange things 

 there^ indicated a considerable degree of parental 

 affection. 



