TONGATABU. 285 



nothing interesting to be noted about the means of expression of 

 these latter islanders ; probably they have copied European 

 modes of expression to a large extent. 



In some of their gestures, the Tongans differ remarkably 

 from us ; in beckoning, to call a person, they use, like the Malays 

 and others, the hand with its back turned towards their bodies, 

 and the palm directed towards the person called ; the hand is 

 moved downwards and inwards, instead of upwards and inwards 

 as with us. 



In affirmation the head is jerked slightly upwards, the eye- 

 brows being raised a little at the same time. I asked one of 

 the missionaries who visited the ship, about this matter, and to 

 test it he pronounced the word for yes, and involuntarily threw 

 up his head. The gestures accompanying the language are 

 necessary to its perfect use, and to speak without them would 

 be like speaking a European language with a false accent. 



In negation, the head is sometimes moved slowly from side to 

 side, but never shaken. In pointing out the way to a place, the 

 lips are pouted in order to indicate direction at the same time that 

 the hand is used to point with in the ordinary manner. The 

 use of the arms and head in gesture language, is very remark- 

 able, and conversations are carried on thus in an extremely 

 animated manner, with the help of very few actual words. 



The coxswain of the pilot's boat, the ex-member of the 

 nobility, wore, as I have said, a pea-jacket ; a photograph was 

 taken of the boat's crew. I could not persuade the coxswain to 

 take off the pea-jacket, in order to make the group uniform ; he 

 would only promise that if he were photographed with the 

 jacket on in the group, he would allow himself to be taken with 

 it off, separately afterwards. The jacket was a thick garment 

 of the usual pilot cloth, fit only for an English winter, but the 

 man evidently regarded it as a mark of distinction and decora- 

 tion, and a proof that he was coxswain. 



I had much difficulty in getting a lock of hair from one of 

 the boat's crew, and only succeeded by the help of a missionary, 

 who explained that I did not want it for purposes of witchcraft. 

 The man also evidently was loth to part with a single lock of 

 what was. his chief pride. I often, in collecting hair of various 



