III.] DRESS OF THE LIU-KIUANS. 49 



were informed that our chairs had arrived, and on going out we 

 found them the foreground of a picture wdiich consisted for the 

 most part of human faces. The opportunity was too good to be 

 lost, and we took a photograph of the scene before starting. Our 

 chairs, or rather palanquins, were little, square, bamboo cages barely 

 three feet in height, with an opening at each side. The head 

 room was still further reduced by the pole being placed inside, 

 and for a European, who cannot be " coiled down " with the facility 

 of a Liu-kiuan, it was a matter of considerable difficulty to get in 

 without lea\T.ng some portion of the body outside. These rather 

 distressing conveyances were most beautifully made of plaited 

 bamboo slips, coloured red, black and yellow in various patterns, 

 and were furnished with little wmdows of wonderful neatness of 

 construction. Our bearers were of a size to match the palanquins, 

 but of sturdy build. They were clothed, or rather unclothed, in 

 Japanese fasliion, most of them wearing a waist-cloth only, though 

 some were provided with a haori, or wdiatever the equiva- 

 lent Liu-kiuan name may be, — a short upper garment made of 

 coarse blue cotton. The dress of the islander of every rank 

 appears to be nearly identical with that of Japan ; almost 

 every one wearing the Jdmono — a full-sleeved, loose robe reaching 

 down to the feet, and cut V-sh^ped at the neck. It is folded 

 across in front so as to bring the opening beneath the arm, and is 

 confined by a girdle at the waist. To this girdle are attached the 

 pipe-case and tobacco-pouch, by means of large netsiiJces or buttons, 

 made of bone or ivory according to the wealth of the owner, and 

 often very prettily carved. Like a Japanese, a Liu-kiuan would 

 as soon tlimk of going out without pipe and tobacco as an 

 Englishman without his boots. Former writers have described 

 the people as wearing the hachi-maclii, a cap of peculiar shape, 

 with a flat top, but with the back and front formed of overlapping 

 layers of silk, much as if the head were encased in a " figure-of- 

 eight " bandage. These caps are of different colours, according to 

 the rank of the individual, but they appear to be hardly ever 

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