386 AVOYAGETO 
i?77* converting their prize to any one ufeful purpofe. But, I 
^ !} " believe, with us, no perfon would forfeit his reputation, or 
expofe himfelf to punilhment, without knowing, before 
hand, how to employ the ftolen goods. Upon the whole, 
the pilfering difpolition of thefe iilanders, though certainly 
difagreeable and troublefome to ftrangers, was the means 
of affording us fome information as to the quicknefs of 
their intellects. For their fmall thefts were committed with 
much dexterity; and thofe of greater conference with a 
plan or fcheme fuited to the importance of the objects. An 
extraordinary inftance of the laid fort, their attempts to 
carry away one of the Difcovery’s anchors, at mid-day, 
has been already related. 
Their hair is, in general, flraight, thick, and Ifrong; 
though a few have it bufhy or frizzled. The natural co¬ 
lour, I believe, almoft without exception, is black; but the 
greateif part of the men, and fome of the women, have it 
llained of a brown, or purple colour; and a few of an 
orange calf. The firlf colour is produced by applying a 
fort of plafter of burnt coral, mixed with water; the fe- 
cond, by the rafpings of a reddifh wood, which is made up 
with water into a poultice, and laid over the hair; and the 
third is, I believe, the effedt of turmeric root. 
When 1 firlf vifited thefe illands, I thought it had been 
an univerfal culfom for both men and women to wear the 
hair fhort; but, during our prefent longer fcay, we faw a 
great many exceptions. Indeed, they are fo whimfical in 
their fafhions of wearing it, that it is hard to tell which is 
molf in vogue. Some have it cut off from one fide of the 
head, while that on the other fide remains long; fome have 
only a portion of it cut fhort, or, perhaps, fliaved; others 
have it entirely cut off, except a .tingle lock, which is left 
I commonly 
