TAHITIANS 431 



was like the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate 

 creeper. 



Many of the elder people had their feet covered with small 

 figures, so placed as to resemble a sock. This fashion, however, 

 s partly gone by, and has been succeeded by others. Here, 

 ilthough fashion is far from immutable, every one must abide 

 by that prevailing in his youth. An old man has thus his age 

 for ever stamped on his body, and he cannot assume the airs of 

 a young dandy. The women are tattooed in the same manner 

 as the men, and very commonly on their fingers. One 

 unbecoming fashion is now almost universal : namely, shaving 

 the hair from the upper part of the head, in a circular form, so 

 as to leave only an outer ring. The missionaries have tried to 

 persuade the people to change this habit ; but it is the fashion, 

 and that is a sufficient answer at Tahiti, as well as at Paris. 

 I was much disappointed in the personal appearance of the 

 women ; they are far inferior in every respect to the men. 

 The custom of wearing a white or scarlet flower in the back of 

 the head, or through a small hole in each ear, is pretty. A 

 crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves is also worn as a shade for the 

 eyes. The women appear to be in greater want of some 

 becoming costume even than the men. 



Nearly all the natives understand a little English — that is, 

 they know the names of common things ; and by the aid of 

 this, together with signs, a lame sort of conversation could be 

 carried on. In returning in the evening to the boat, we 

 stopped to witness a very pretty scene. Numbers of children 

 were playing on the beach, and had lighted bonfires which 

 illumined the placid sea and surrounding trees ; others, in 

 circles, were singing Tahitian verses. We seated ourselves on 

 the sand, and joined their party. The songs were impiomptu, 

 and I believe related to our arrival : one little girl sang a line, 

 which the rest took up in parts, forming a very pretty chorus. 

 The whole scene made us unequivocally aware that we were 

 seated on the shores of an island in the far-famed South Sea. 



ijlh. — This day is reckoned in the log-book as Tuesday 

 the 17th, instead of Monday the i6th, owing to our, so far, 

 successful chase of the sun. Before breakfast the ship was 

 hemmed in by a flotilla of canoes ; and when the natives were 

 allowed to come on board, I suppose there could not have 



