Der. 

 1825. 



PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. Ill 



the wood; but he said he heard the signal; and chap. 

 when we got down it proved to be the case. 



In this little retreat there is not much variety, 

 and the description of one day's occupation serves 

 equally for its successor. The dance is a recreation 

 very rarely indulged in ; but as we particularly re- 

 quested it, they would not refuse to gratify us. A 

 large room in Quintal's house was prepared for the 

 occasion, and the company were ranged on one side 

 of the apartment, glowing beneath a blazing string 

 of doodoe nuts ; the musicians were on the other, 

 under the direction of Arthur Quintal. He was 

 seated upon the ground, as head musician, and had 

 before him a large gourd, and a piece of musical 

 wood (porou), which he balanced nicely upon his 

 toes, that there might be the less interruption to its 

 vibrations. He struck the instrument alternately 

 with two sticks, and was accompanied by Dolly, 

 who performed very skilfully with both hands upon 

 a gourd, which had a longitudinal hole cut in one 

 end of it ; rapidly beating the orifice with the palms 

 of her hands, and releasing it again with uncommon 

 dexterity, so as to produce a tattoo, but in perfect 

 time with the other instrument. A third performed 

 upon the Bounty's old copper fish-kettle, which 

 formed a sort of bass. To this exhilarating music, 

 three grown-up females stood up to dance, but with 

 a reluctance which showed it was done only to oblige 

 us, as they consider such performances an inroad 

 upon their usual innocent pastimes. The figure 

 consisted of such parts of the Otaheitan dance as 

 were thought most decorous, and was little more 

 than a shuffling of the feet, sliding past each other, 

 and snapping their fingers ; but even this produced, 



