220 Pickering on the Language and Inhabitants 
ionable lady of America to smile, on observing the pains taken by 
those simple daughters of nature to set off their persons. In their 
ears, they wear an ornament made of a peculiar kind of grass, 
which they work into a tassel, and this is painted and richly per- 
fumed. In their noses they wear a stem of the kabooa leaf, which 
answers the double purpose of an ornament and a smelling-bot- 
tle; and their arms, in addition to being tattooed, are adorned 
with a profusion of shells.” The “Narrative” adds :— “Our fair 
readers may judge how much we were amazed, on finding that 
the copper-colored females of the island cut up our old shoes into 
substitutes for jewelry, and seemed highly delighted with wearing 
the shreds suspended from their ears!” * 
In the same spirit (though this circumstance is not related in 
the “Narrative,” but was mentioned to me by the seamen,) they 
turned into ornaments another article, which was apparently as 
useless as we can well conceive any one thing to have been to 
them; that is, a copy of the “ Practical Navigator,” published by 
our lamented President, Dr. Bowditch ; the leaves of which were 
torn out by the ingenious females, then made up into little rolls of 
the size of one’s finger, and inserted in their ears instead of the 
tufts of grass before mentioned! 
But it is not my intention to pursue these details in relation to 
the Pelew Islanders, of whom sufficient information is to be found 
in the publications already referred to. It need only be added, 
that a residence among them was found uncomfortable by the 
shipwrecked Americans, and they decided to quit the island. An 
arrangement was made for that purpose with the natives; and, 
after consulting their prophetess, according to custom, the execu- 
tion of the plan was entered upon. By a singular concurrence of 
* Pages 48, 49. 
