PORTER'S JOURNAL. 
peepees &c. (Porter presents beads, &c.) after which they strove 
in various ways who should most amuse us, the men in dancing, 
the girls in playing scratch cradle, (an amusement well know in 
America) at which they are more dextrous than any other I ever 
met with: the thread used for this purpose is made of the fibres 
of the cocoa-nut, and is generally worn by the young girls (who 
greatly delight in this amusement) round the neck, or made up 
with much ingenuity and compactness into a small skein and is 
put through the hole of the ear and serves the double purpose of 
keeping it distended and amusing them occasionally. It is really 
astonishing to see what variety of forms they will give to this 
thread and with what dexterity and expedition they will change it 
from one form to another: sometimes it assumes the appearance 
of the finest net-work, and in an instant changes its appearance to 
that of lace. Sometimes the reticulations are diamond like, square 
or polyedrous, and sometimes compounded of the whole: in this 
amusement every finger is employed, which, as well as the hand, 
being remarkable for their slender and delicate form, occasioned 
us to contemplate this diversion with much pleasure, for what ip 
nature can be more interesting than a beautiful young female, 
whose face bespeaks the guilelessness of her heart engaged in an 
amusement which requires the employment of both their hands, 
and (habited as they are) leaves every charm exposed to the de¬ 
vouring eyes. Let the philosopher mourn over the depravity, as 
he may call it, of human nature; let him express his horror, that 
_ civilized man can, for a moment, be lured by the charms of a sa¬ 
vage; let the moralist, from his closet, preach the charms of vir¬ 
tue and deformity of vice; still I shall not let fall the curtain; the 
veil shall still be raised and nature exposed; I shall exhibit her 
x deformities, when I meet them; but shall also display her beauties. 
The charms of wild uncultivated nature are not the less admired, 
and the rose of the wilderness is not less beautiful than that of the 
parterre. 
Our time passed rapidly with these kind people, and the even¬ 
ing approached before we were aware of it. It became necessary 
to hasten to the ship, and we bade them farewell, with a promise 
that we should shortly return and bring with us a larger supply of 
fieejiees and other tie ties , so much desired by them. 
