1770. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 131 



greatly superior to ours. The chiefs constantly 

 begin their meal with a doze of the extract of pep- 

 per-root, brewed after the usual manner. The women 

 eat apart from the men, and are tabooed, or forbidden, 

 as has been already mentioned, the use of pork, turtle, 

 and particular kinds of plantains. However, they 

 would eat pork with us in private ; but we could never 

 prevail upon them to touch the two last articles. 



The way of spending their time appears to be very 

 simple, and to admit of little variety. 



They rise with the sun ; and, after enjoying the 

 cool of the evening, retire to rest a few hours after 

 sun-set. The making of canoes and mats forms the 

 occupations of the Erees ; the women are employed 

 in manufacturing cloth ; and the Towtows are prin- 

 cipally engaged in the plantations and fishing. Their 

 idle hours are filled up with various amusements. 

 Their young men and women are fond of dancing ; 

 and, on more solemn occasions, they have boxing 

 and wrestling matches, after the manner of the 

 Friendly Islands ; though, in all these respects, they 

 are much inferior to the latter. 



Their dances have a much nearer resemblance to 

 those of the New Zealanders, than of the Otaheiteans 

 or Friendly Islanders. They are prefaced with a 

 slow, solemn song, in which all the party join, mov- 

 ing their legs, and gently striking their breasts, in a 

 manner, and with attitudes, that are perfectly easy 

 and graceful ; and so far they are the same with the 

 dances of the Society Islands. When this has lasted 

 about ten minutes, both the tune and the motions 

 gradually quicken, and end only by their inability 

 to support their fatigue ; which part of the perform- 

 ance is the exact counterpart of that of the New Zea- 

 landers ; and (as it is among them) the person who 

 uses the most violent action, and holds out the long- 

 est, is applauded as the best dancer. It is to be ob- 

 served, that, in this dance, the women only take a 

 part, and that the dancing of the men is nearly of 



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