PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. I57 



their hair, however, was differently dressed, being 

 loosely fastened at the side of the head by a pin resem- 

 bling a salt-spoon with a very long handle. Their feet m^ 

 were of the natural size, and without shoes or sandals. ^^^^* 

 We noticed some who were tattooed on the back of 

 the hand, which we were told was done to distinguish 

 all those who were married ; An-yah said the custom 

 prevailed equally in high life. 



I subjoin a sketch of a male and female of Loo 

 Choo, drawn by Mr. Smyth, from which the reader 

 may form a tolerably correct judgment of the general 

 appearance of these people, though Komee was by no 

 means the handsomest of his countrymen. 



Upon the high road we met a man with a bundle of 

 firewood, on his way to town ; and were much pleased 

 at the confirmation of a fact, which we had no doubt 

 existed, though the natives took every precaution to 

 conceal it. None of our visiters to the ship had as 

 yet shown us any money, and An-yah, if I understood 

 him correctly, said there was none in Loo Choo ; our 

 meeting with this peasant, however, disclosed the 

 truth, as he had a string of cash * (small Chinese 

 money) suspended to his girdle, in the manner adopted 

 by the Chinese. I examined the string with much 

 interest, and offered to purchase it with Spanish coin, 

 but my guide would not permit the woodman to part 

 with it, and tucking it into his belt that it might not be 

 seen again, he said something to him in an angry tone, 

 and the poor fellow walked on with his load to the 

 town. We afterwards got some of this money, which 



* These coins being of small value, they are strung together in 

 hundreds, and have a knot at each end, so that it is not necessary 

 to count them. 



