54 



VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



hair forms a cufhion which deadens the prelTure, 

 and renders it much lefs painful on the crown 

 of the head than on any other part of the body. 

 Very few of the women would have been able 

 to do the like ; for fome of them had their hair 

 cut pretty clofe, and wore on the head a cord 

 which was twifted round it feveral times ; others 

 had only a fimple circle of hair. {See Plates 

 IF and V.) We like wife made the fame obfer- 

 vation on feveral of the children, but never on 

 the men ; the latter had the back, the breaft, 

 the fhouldcrs and the arms covered with foft 

 W'Oolly hair. 



Two of the ftouteft of the party were feated 

 in the middle of their children, and had each 

 of them at their fide two wives : they expreffed 

 to us, by figns, that thefe belonged to them ; 

 which gave us another proof that polygamy is 

 eftablifhed among this people. The other wo- 

 men, who had each a hufband to hcrfelf, took 

 equal pains to let us know it. I cannot pretend 

 to fay which are the moil happy, l^he one as 

 well as the other being charged with the moll 

 laborious buiinefsof the family, the former have 

 the advantage of fliaring it; and that compen- 

 fates, perhaps, for the participation of the tef- 

 timonies of the hufband's afrection. 



Their meal had now lafled a long time, and 



v.e were \cry much furprifcd that no::e of them 



3 had 



