266 
SKETCHES AT THE NICOBARS. 
having brought us. However we could not he sent hack, but 
the Patriarch and Elders seemed determined to slight us as 
much as possible, by taking no notice of us, or may be it was 
the new democratic mode of reception lately introduced with 
other republican notions into the Nicobars. It was now ele¬ 
ven o’clock and dancing had commenced. The ball was open¬ 
ed by five or six of the tallest men, holding each other by the 
shoulder and commencing a regular bellow. The effect they 
produced was truly satanic,for their heads were wreathed round 
with the pandan leaf, or else with the yellow bark of a tree, of 
which the extremes, instead of being confined were allowed to 
escape, so that in the moonlight they have the appearance of 
being cornuted,and look for all the woridlike the Devil, agree¬ 
ably to the imagination of little children. The whole population 
dances together, men, women and children in the same ring, 
but the sexes distinct. Sometimes the ring according to the 
number of houses, is able to complete the circle, but this is 
not often the case. The ring is very compact, each per¬ 
son grasping his neighbour by the shoulder at arm’s length, 
by whom he is grasped in return; sometimes males and 
females all s'ng together, as they always dance toge¬ 
ther ; at other times they sii.g alternately. The ring moves 
round slowly from left to right, and the dance consists of two 
or three stamps, and a smart gliding pressure of the right 
heel on the ground, not unlike the way in which Blacky rubs 
the palm of his hand on the drum of his tom-tom, indeed 
when the movement is performed in unison, thejsound is 
agreeable, and the movement rather graceful. In one of the 
dancing squares I observed an object by which my 
mind was visibly transported to mine uncle of the three 
golden balls, a small pyramid some seven feet high was 
covered all over with forks and spoons and soup ladles, 
and to me they even appeared ticketed. I suppose they 
were placed there for ornament. The scene altogether 
was sufficiently animated, young damsels and old, young 
bloods and middle aged men and little children, all joined 
in the dance, whilst occasionally a party carrying a huge 
monster of a pig would cross the path of the dancers, 
and break for a moment the ring, continuing their headlong 
course, and passing rapidly into the jungle. Three unfor¬ 
tunate pigs were bound toes up in the dancing circle where 
I found myself, and really with the effect of th* moon- 
light, the diabolical look of the male dancers, my mind could 
easily revert to the incantation scenes and saerifices“of the 
Mexicans. Some of the women were tolerably pretty, and 
