348 DESCRIPTION OF SAVU CHAP, xv 



men wear pretty tight, but it makes a kind of loose belt, in 

 which they carry their knives, etc., and often many other 

 things, so that it serves entirely the purpose of pockets. 

 The other piece is tucked into this girdle, and reaching over 

 the shoulders, passes down to the girdle on the other side, so 

 that by opening or folding it they can cover more or less of 

 their bodies as they please. The arms, legs, and feet of 

 both sexes are consequently bare, as are the heads of the 

 women, which is their chief distinction by which they are 

 at once known from the men, who always wear something 

 wrapped round theirs, which, though small, is of the finest 

 material they can procure ; many we saw had silk handker- 

 chiefs, which seemed to be much in fashion. 



The distinction of the women's dress, except only the 

 head, consists merely in the manner of wearing their clothes, 

 which are of the same materials and the same quality as 

 the men's. Their waist -cloths reach down below the 

 knees, and their body-cloths are tied under their arms and 

 over their breasts. Both sexes eradicate the hair from 

 under their armpits, a custom in these hot climates almost 

 essential to cleanliness ; the men also pluck out their beards, 

 for which purpose the better sort carry always a pair of 

 silver pincers hanging round their necks : some, however, 

 wear a little hair on their upper lips, but they never suffer 

 it to grow long. 



Ornaments they have many ; some of the better sort wear 

 gold chains round their necks, but these were chiefly made 

 of plated wire of little value ; others had rings which, by 

 their appearance, seemed to have been worn out some 

 generations ago. One had a silver-headed cane, on the top 

 of which was engraved ~fi, so that it had probably been a 

 present from the East India Company. Besides these, beads 

 were worn, chiefly by the men of distinction, round their necks 

 in the form of a solitaire ; others had them round their 

 wrists, etc., but the women had the largest quantity, which 

 they wore round their waists in the form of a girdle, serving 

 to keep up their waist-cloths. Both sexes universally had 

 their ears bored, but we never saw any ornaments in them, 



