AUG. 1769 PEARLS 121 
with as much dexterity as our opera dancers could have 
done; these plaits were brown and white alternately, but 
the petticoats were all white. In this dress they advanced 
sideways, keeping excellent time to the drums, which beat 
briskly and loud: they soon began to shake their hips, giving 
the folds of cloth that lay upon them a very quick motion, 
continued during the whole dance. They sometimes stood, 
sometimes sat, and sometimes rested on their knees and 
elbows, generally moving their fingers with a quickness 
scarcely to be imagined. 
One of these girls had in her ear three pearls, one very 
large but so foul that it was worth scarce anything; the 
other two were as large as a middling pea, and of a clear 
water as well as a good shape. For these I offered at different 
times any price the owner would have, but she would not 
hear of parting with them; I offered once the price of four 
hogs down and anything she would ask beside. They have 
always set a value upon their pearls, if tolerably good, almost 
equal to our valuation, supposing them (as they always are, 
however) not spoiled by the drilling. 
Between the dances of the women (for they sometimes 
rested) the men acted a kind of interlude, in which they 
spoke as well as danced; we were not, however, sufficiently 
versed in their language to be able to give an account of 
the drama. 
4th. We had often heard Tupia speak of lands belonging 
to him which had been taken away by the Bola-Bola men. 
These, he tells us now, are situated in the very bay where 
the ship lies. On going ashore this morning, the inhabitants 
confirmed what he had told us, and showed us several 
different whennuas, which, they all acknowledged, belonged 
of right to him. The greater number of the people here 
are, it seems, the so-much-feared Bola-Bola men, and we 
were told that to-morrow Opoony, the king of that island, 
will come to visit us. We are much inclined to receive 
him civilly, as we have met with so civil a reception from 
his subjects. 
We saw the game which the Indians call erowhaw. It 
