THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



399 



are not excluded from eating with the men ; but there are '777' 



certain ranks or orders amongft them, that can neither eat ^.. ' ^ » 



nor drink together. This diftin(5lion begins with the king ; 

 but where it ends, I cannot fay. 



They feem to have no fet time for meals ; though it 

 fliould be obferved, that, during our ftay amongfb them, 

 their domeftie oeconomy was much difturbed by their con- 

 flant attention to us. As far as we could remark, thofe of" 

 the fuperior rank, only drink kava in the forenoon; and the 

 others ear, perhaps, a bit of yam ; but we commonly faw all 

 of them eat fomething in the afternoon. It is probable that 

 the pra'flice of making a meal in the night is pretty common^ 

 and their reft being thus interrupted, they frequently lleep 

 in the day. They go to bed as foon as it is dark, and rife- 

 with the dawn in the morning *. 



They are very fond of aiTociating together; fo that it is- 

 eommon to find feveral houfes empty, and the owners of 

 them convened in fome other one, or, rather, upon a con- 

 venient fpot in the neighbourhood, where they recreate 

 themfelves by converfmg, and other amufeinents. Their 

 private diverfions are chiefly finging, dancing, and mufic 

 performed by the women. V/hen two or three women fing 

 in concert, and fnap their fingers, it is called oobai ; but 

 when there is a greater number, they divide into feveral 

 parties, each of which fings on a different key, which makes 

 a very agreeable mufic, and is called heeva, or baha. In the 

 fame manner, they vary the mufic of their flutes, by play- 

 ing on thole of a diiTerent fize ; but their dancing is much' 

 rhe fame as when they perform publickly. The dancing 



* Canrova fays ofhis if.andcrs, " Us prennent leur repos des que le folci! eft coiiche,, 

 " Si i's fe levent ;ivec r'aurore." Lcttres Ed'ifianta IJ (hirleujh, Tom. xv. p. 314. 



of. 



