THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
2 93 
They are large cylindrical pieces of wood, or trunks of 
trees, from three to four feet long, fome twice as thick as 
an ordinary ftzed man, and fome fmaller, hollowed entirely 
out, hut dole at both ends, and open only by a chink, about 
three inches broad, running almoft the whole length of the 
drums; by which opening, the reft of the wood is certainly 
hollowed, though the operation muft be difficult. This in- 
ftrument is called naff a ; and, with the chink turned toward 
them, they fit and beat ftrongly upon it, with two cylin¬ 
drical pieces of hard wood, about a foot long, and as thick 
as the wrift; by wffiich means they produce a rude, though 
loud and powerful found. They vary the ftrength and 
rate of their beating, at different parts of the dance; and 
alfo change the tones, by beating in the middle, or near the 
end, of their drum. 
The fhft dance conftfted of four ranks, of twenty-four 
men each, holding in their hands a little, thin, light, 
wooden inftrument, above two feet long, and, in ffiape, 
not unlike a fmall oblong paddle. With thefe, which are 
called pagge , they made a great many different motions; 
fuch as pointing them toward the ground on one fide, at 
the fame time inclining their bodies that way, from which 
they were fhifted to the oppoftte fide in the fame manner; 
then paffing them quickly from one hand to the other, and 
twirling them about very dextroufly; with a variety of 
other manoeuvres, all which were accompanied by corre- 
lponding attitudes of the body. Their motions were, at firft, 
flow, hut quickened as the drums beat fafter ; and they re¬ 
cited fentences, in a muftcal tone, the whole time, which 
were anfwered by the chorus; but at the end of a fhort 
fpace they all joined, and finifhed with a fhout. 
After ceafing about two or three minutes, they began as 
before, 
