86 A CURIOUS DANCE, 



their line and dispersed, re-formed once or twice 

 behind the player, and advanced upon him unawares ; 

 and finally yielded up their places to three funny 

 little creatures, whose performances absolutely con- 

 vulsed us with laughter ; the dance they practised 

 is very common among the children, but we now 

 saw it for the first time, and considered it a truly 

 remarkable spectacle. The dresses of the females are 

 made very full and hang in folds ; in children they 

 make the figm-e look podgy and squat, and so the 

 three actresses appeared as they faced us in a row, 

 with their toes turned in and their hands tucked 

 into opposite sleeves. The attitude before commencing 

 was mirth-provoking; but how shall I succeed in 

 conveying a just appreciation of their subsequent 

 movements? It is I fear impossible; no art could 

 properly pom^tray the scene, the inimitable gestm-es 

 or the unrivalled archness of the whole affair. Sway- 

 ing bodily, with a slight jump to either side, the 

 outside ones faced or turned themselves from the 

 centre child by turns, she appearing alternately to 

 court and repel their advances ; thus they continued, 

 while repeating in a measured chant " Cah — -jpo — 

 moin^en, melotdJi, noingen^ at the end of which 

 all suddenly jumped quite round, and saying, um — mu 

 — imij with a sort of satisfied enunciation, tlu'ew 



