258 NATIVES ON BOAED. 



drum, keeping- very good time and causing roars of 

 laughter by his strange grimaces and antics. The 

 effect of this pantomime was heightened by the style 

 of painting adopted by the actor whose face had 

 been blackened with charcoal, variegated by a white 

 streak along the eyebrows turned down at the ends^ 

 and another along the cheeks passing round the chin. 

 Aug. I'dth. — The boisterous state- of the weather 

 did not prevent the natives from repeatedly coming 

 off to us with various articles of barter ; and we were 

 even visited by a party of seven men from Tissot 

 Island, who paddled up on a catamaran "five or six 

 miles to windward against a strong breeze and cur- 

 rent. After some little persuasion, several of them 

 were induced to come on board and were shewn round 

 the ship, presented with various articles, and dressed 

 out with scraps of clothing of every description. At 

 first they shewed sjTuptoms of uneasiness, and made 

 frequent protestations of friendship, as if the circum- 

 stance of our repeating them gave increased confi- 

 dence. Their mode of salutation or expression of 

 friendship consists in first touching the nose with the 

 forefinger and thumb of one hand, and then pinching 

 the skin on each side of the navel with the other, 

 calling out at the same time, magasuga ! This habit 

 resembles on one hand that of rubbing noses, so 

 general in Polynesia, — and on the other, the custom 

 of j)inching the navel and repeating the name for that 

 part, practised by the islanders of Torres Strait. At 

 length our visitors withdrew, well pleased with their 



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