's-so 



A VOYAGE TO 



'777' laid along the ground, and, by that means, furnifhing a 

 tone as acute, as thofe produced by the others were grave. 

 The reft of the band, as well as thofe who performed upon 

 the bamboos, fung a flov/ and foft air, which fo tempered 

 the harflier notes of the above inftruments, that no bye- 

 flander, however accuftoraed to hear the moft perfedf and 

 varied modulation of fweet founds, could avoid confell^ 

 ing the vaft power, and pleafmg effed, of this fimple 

 harmany. 



The concert having continued about a quarter of an 



hour, twenty women entered the circle. Moft of them had, 



"Upon their heads, garlands of the crimfon flowers of the 



China rofe, or others ; and many of them had ornamented 



their perfons with leaves of trees, cut with a great deal of 



nicety about the edges. They made a circle round the 



chorus, turning their faces toward it, and began by finging 



a foft air, to which refponfes were made by the chorus in 



the fame tone; and thefe were repeated akernately. All 



this while, the women accompanied their fong with feveral 



very graceful motions of their hands toward their faces, 



and in other dire6lions at the fame time, making conftantly 



a ftep forward, and then back again, with one foot, while 



the other was fixed. They then turned their faces to the af- 



fem,bly, fung feme time, and retreated flowly in a body, to 



that part of the circle which was oppoflte the hut where the 



principal fpe(5tators fat. After this, one of them advanced 



from each fide, meeting and paffing each other in the fi'ont, 



and continuing their progrefs round, till they came to the 



reft. On which, two advanced from each fide, two of whom 



alfo paflTed each other, and returned as the former ; but 



the other two remained, and to thefe came one, from each 



fide, 



