424 The National Geographic Magazine 



July 75. — Went out to the public danc- 

 ing and singing, in competition for prizes 

 offered by the government. It takes 

 place in the square before the govern- 

 ment house, and everybody is there, 

 either performing or looking on. Al- 

 most the whole population of the island 

 has come. 



The chief interest among the islanders 

 seems to lie in the competition of sing- 

 ing "himinies," and next to that, in 

 the dancing, which is pantomimic as 

 much as regular. As a public show, 

 most of the native dances are unpre- 

 sentable, so that, I have understood, 

 the authorities have had some difficult}^ 

 in finding a dance which will do for 

 such an occasion. Savages are here 

 from the neighboring islands, a fine- 

 looking chief from Cook island taking 

 a part, and a woman from the same 

 island gave a little of the presentable 

 part of the ' ' Hoola Hoola. ' ' Her body 



would be quivering like a jelly, and sud- 

 denly grow rigid as a statue — a notably 

 odd effect. 



In the afternoon there were regattas, 

 the most interesting one being the row- 

 ing of one of the ancient double war 

 canoes, or a modern duplication of it. 

 There were 42 rowers, or rather pad- 

 dlers,and they got up a ' 'spurt' ' of speed 

 which I estimated at about seven miles 

 an hour. On this afternoon we sat on 

 the deck and watched the wonderful 

 sunset behind the fantastic peaks of 

 Mourea. It would have been a time to 

 quote Byron — 



" Slow sinks more lovely ere its course be run 

 Along Morea's hills the setting sun." 



only that the tropic sun does not de- 

 scend slowly. 



Frank, my driver, came at i o'clock 

 with the old carriage and one horse. 

 I drove Mrs. K. out to Point Venus, 



Cook Islanders 



