296 AVOYAGETO 



'777- Other fide,' and having Hood in the fame pofture there, 

 *— — « — •' for the fame fhort time, retreated from the ground, as faft 

 as when he made his appearance. The dancers, who had di- 

 vided into two parties, kept repeating fomething flowly all 

 this while; and now advanced, and joined again, ending 

 with univerfal applaufe. It fhould feem, that this dance was 

 confidered as one of their capital performances, if we might 

 judge from fome of the principal people being engaged in 

 it. For one of the drums was beat by Futtafaihe, the bro- 

 ther of Poulaho, another by Feenou, and the third, which 

 did not belong to the chorus, by Mareewagee himfelf, at 

 the entrance of his hut. 



The laft dance had forty men, and two drums, as a chorus. 

 It confifted of fixty men, who had not danced before, dif- 

 pofed in three rows, having twenty-four in front. But, be- 

 fore they began, we were entertained with a, pretty long 

 preliminary harangue, in which the whole body made re- 

 fponfes to a iingle perfon who fpoke. They recited fen- 

 tences (perhaps verfes) alternately with the chorus, and 

 made many motions witli the pagge^ in a very brifk mode, 

 which were all applauded with mareeal ! and fvfogge ! words 

 expreffing two different degrees of praife. They divided 

 into two bodies, with their backs to each other ; formed 

 again, fliifted their ranks, as in the other dances; divided 

 and retreated, making room for two champions, who ex- 

 ercifed their clubs as before; and after them two others: 

 the dancers, all the time, reciting flowly in turn with the 

 chorus J after which they advanced, and finiflied. 



Thefe dances, if they can properly be called ^o, lafled 



from eleven till near three o'clock ; and though they were, 



doubtlefs, inten led, particularly, either in honour of us, 



or to fliew a fpecimen of their dexterity, vaft numbers of 



4 ^ their 



