24 FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS 



they were much rejoiced at it, and expressed their 

 gratitude and joy by repeated exclamations, and 

 friendly behaviour. We were now surrounded 

 by all the islanders, thirteen in number; tliey 

 shewed themselves open and friendly, but always a 

 little shy : they were all unarmed. The company 

 consisted of a man of about forty years of age, two 

 elderly and one young woman, and three young 

 men of twenty years' old, and some children from 

 nine to fifteen ; one of them was but three year's 

 old, and was still in arms ; the oldest man had a 

 short black beard, short black hair, and wore a 

 short mat ; the others had no beard : the young 

 men also wore mats, but the children were quite 

 naked. The women were wrapped in mats from 

 the hips to the feet ; they were all of a pretty dark 

 colour, but slender and slightly built; They all 

 seemed very clean j the men were painted with 

 different squares of a dark blue colour, like those 

 on New Year's Island ; the women had not much 

 of this painting on their neck and bosom : they all 

 wore rolled leaves in their ear-holes ; the neck 

 was adorned with a row of shells, and they wore 

 wreaths of flowers on their heads. They have a 

 great resemblance with the natives of New Year's 

 Island J their countenance expressed much good 

 nature. I should here observe, that we had one 

 family before us of which the elderly man was the 

 head. Our naturalist gave to the father some 

 seeds of water-melon, and showed him how to 



