﻿OF CAH\ T ICOJ3AR, 339 



young men and women, who are fancifully drest with 

 leaves, go to dancing, and the old people surround them 

 smoking tobacco and drinking; soura. The dancers, 

 while performing, sing some of their tunes, which are 

 far from wanting harmony, and to which they keep 

 exact time. Of musical instruments they have only 

 one kind, and that the simplest. It is a hollow bam- 

 boo about 2| feet long and three inches in diameter ; 

 along the outside of which there is stretched from end 

 to end a single string made of the threads of a split 

 cane ; and the place under the string is hollowed a 

 little, to prevenc it from touching. This instrument 

 is played upon in the same manner as a guitar. It is 

 capable of producing but few notes ; the performer 

 however makes it speak harmoniously, and generally 

 accompanies it with the voice. 



What they know of physic is small and simple. I 

 had once occasion to see an operation in surgery per- 

 formed on'the toe of ayoung girl, who had been stung 

 by a scorpion or centipee. The wound was attended 

 with a considerable swelling, and the little patient 

 seemed in great pain. One of the natives produced 

 the under jaw of a small fish, which was long, and 

 planted with two rows of teeth as sharp as needles : 

 taking this in one hand, and a small stick by way of 

 hammer in the other, he struck the teeth three or four 

 times into the swelling, and made it bleed freely : the 

 toe was then bound up with certain leaves, and next 

 day the child was running about perfectly well. 



Their houses are generally built upon the beach in 

 villages of fifteen or twenty houses each ; and each 

 house contains a family of twenty persons and upwards. 

 These habitations are raised upon wooden pillars, about 

 ten feet from the ground ; they are round and, hav- 

 ing no windows, look like bee - hives, covered with 



Vol. II, Z 



