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paffages as appear exceptionable in the cool moment of folitary ftudy, would obtain the highest applause amidst the joyous animation of focial triumphs.

Befides his odes, Pindar is faid to have written tragedies, hymns, poems, dithyrambics, epics, and other poems, in all, feventeen diftinct works.

FROM THE MISSIONARY VOYAGE.

TH

AMUSEMENTS

OF

THE OTAHEITANS.'

HEIR life is without toil, and every man is at liber. ty to do, go, and act as he pleases, without the diftrefs of care, or apprehenfion of want; and as their leifure is great, their sports and amufements are va

rious.

Of thefe, fwimming in the furf appears to afford them fingular delight. At this fport both fexes are very dexterous; and the diverfion is reckoned great in proportion as the furf runs higheft, and breaks with the greatest violence: they will continue at it for hours together, till they are tired. Some make use of a small board, two feet and a half, or more, formed with a fharp point, like the fore-part of a canoe; but others ufe none, and depend wholly on their own dexterity. They fwim out beyond where the fwell of the furf begins, which they follow as it rifes, throwing themfelves on the top of the wave, and fteering themfelves with one leg, whilft the other is raised out of the water, their breaft repofing on the plank, and one hand moving them forward, till the furf begins to gather way: as the rapidity of its motion increases, they are carried onward with the most amazing velocity, till the surf is ready to break on the thore, when, in a moment, they steer themselves round with fo quick, a movement as to dart

head

head foremost through the wave, and rifing on the outfide, fwim back again to the place where the furf first begins to fwell, diving all the way through the waves, which are running furiously on the fhore.

In the course of this amufement they fometimes run foul of each other, when many are swimming together; those who are coming on not being able to ftop their motion, and those who are moving the contrary way, unable to keep their fufficient diftance, fo that they are carried together by the rushing wave, and hurled neck and heels on fhore before they can difembarrass themfelves, and get well bruised on their landing. The women are excellent at this fport; and Iddeah, the queen mother, is reckoned the most expert in the whole inland. The children take the fame diverfion in a weaker surf, learning to swim as foon as they learn to walk, and feldom meet with any accident, except being dashed on the beach; but hardly ever a perfon is drowned. If a fhark comes in among them, they all furround him, and force him on shore, if they can but once get him into the furf, though they use no inftruments for the purpose; and fhould he escape, they continue their fport, unapprehenfive of danger. This diverfion is most common when the westerly winds prevail, as they are always attended with a heavy swell, which continues many days after the bad weather is abated.

Their amusements on fhore are, throwing the fpear or javelin, shooting with bows and arrows, wrestling, dancing, and feveral other games; at all which the women have their turn as well as the men; but they always play separately from each other.

The javelins are from eight to fourteen feet long, and pointed with the fwharra, or palm-tree. Thefe they hurl at a mark fet up at the diftance of thirty or forty yards, with great exactnefs. They hold the fpear in the right hand, and poife it over the fore-finger of the left. At this game one district often plays against another,

but

but never for any wager, only the district in which they play provides an entertainment.

Their bows are made of porow, and their arrows of fmall bamboos, pointed with toa wood, which they fix on with bread-fruit gum. The bow-strings are made of the bark of the roava; with these they shoot against each other, not at a mark, but for the greateft diftance. They never ufe this inftrument in war; and the clothes they wear on this occafion are facred to the game, and never worn at any other time. Since they have learned. the ufe of more deftructive weapons, the guns, which they have procured from us, they are faid to have become excellent marksmen.

They are dexterous wrestlers. When they challenge each other they ftrike the bend of the left arm with the right hand, and if left-handed, reverfe it. The arm being bent, receives the hand on its cavity, and makes a loud report. The man who returns the clap, accepts the challenge, and throws both arms forward, as if to lay hold of his antagonist. The ring is immediately formed, and they clofe with each other. As foon as the struggle ends with the fall of either, he filently retires, nor incurs any difgrace, and the conqueror goes clapping round the ring. If they wrestle one diftri& against another, the women always wrestle firft, and the men fucceed. At this, Iddeah, the queen-mother, excels; and when the party is won or lost, the women of the victorious district strike up a dance. Iddeah is ufually miftrefs of the ceremonies, and appoints the number of falls which fhall be made: the party which gains that number first is adjudged the victor; and the vanquished exprefs not the leaft diffatisfaction. In general, the women bear their foils worse than the men, and betray moft figns of anger at being worsted.

They frequently exercife at quarter-ftaff; and are very expert at defending their head, and all other parts of their body this they practise from their tenderest

age.

age. The fcience of defence is a chief object; for a wound in war confers no honour, but rather disgrace, therefore they always hide the scar, if poffible.

They practise the fling for amufement, as well as employ it in battle, and throw a ftone with great force and tolerable exactness. Their flings are made from the plaited fibres of the cocoa-nut hufk, having a broader part to receive the ftone: at one end is a loop for the hand, in order to keep the fling faft when they dif charge the ftone. In charging the fling, they hold it round their fhoulders, keeping the ftone faft in it with their left thumb, and jumping, fwing the fling three times round their heads, holding the left hand grafped on the wrift of the right, and thus difcharge the stone with a force fufficient to enter the bark of a tree at two hundred yards diftance; the ftone flying at an equal diftance from the ground, like a bullet, all the way.

Their dances are varioùs. The heiva is performed by men and women in feparate parties. The women are moft gracefully dreffed, and keep exact time with the mufic during the performance, obferving a regular movement both of hands and feet, though nothing refembling our dances. The heiva is ufually performed by torch-light. The manner is exactly reprefented in Cook's Voyages. They generally dance under cover; but, by day, before the houses, unless it rains, having large mats fpread on the grass. The women's dress is a long white petticoat of fine cloth, with a red border, and a red ftripe about ten inches from the bottom; a kind of veft, or corflet, made of white or coloured cloth, comes close up under the arms, and covers the breafts; to this they attach two bunches of black feathers at the point of each breaft; feveral taffels of the fame hang round the waift, and fall as low as the knees. Two or three red or black feathers on each fore-finger fupply the place of rings. On the back, from the thoulder to the hip, are fixed two large pieces of cloth neatly plait ed, like a fan or furbelow, and edged with red. Their

heads

heads are ornamented with the tamou, or vaft braids of human hair wrapped round like a turban, and stuck full of fragrant and beautiful flowers, intermixed with beads and fharks' teeth: our fine writing-paper was alfo fometimes applied in addition to thefe ornaments.

A master of ceremonies directs the movements of the dancers; and when the women retire, their places are fupplied by a chorus, who fing with the mufic, or by actors, who perform pantomimes, feizing the manners of their European vifitors, which they imitate in great perfection: not fparing the conduct of their own chiefs, when objects of fatire; which ferves as a falutary check and admonition; for if they are faulty, they are fure to be publicly exposed.

The houses in which the heivas are performed are open at the ends and in front, the back being screened by matting of cocoa-nut leaves; round the ends and in front of the house there is a low railing of about a foot in height, within which the performers exhibit; and without, the audience fit or ftand; the area before the house and the floor are all covered with matting.

Any number of women may perform at once; but as the dress is very expenfive, feldom more than two or four dance; and when this is done before the chief, the dreffes are prefented to him after the heiva is finished; and thefe contain thirty or forty yards of cloth, from one to four yards wide.

The ponnara, or evening dance, is performed by any number of women, of any age or defcription, who chufe to attend at the place appointed, which is ufually the cool fhade. They are dreffed in their beft apparel, and have their heads decorated with wreaths of flowers. They divide into two equal parts, about twenty yards diftant, and placing themfelves in rows oppofite to each other, a fmall green bread-fruit is brought by way of foot-ball. The leading dancer of one party takes this in her hand, and, stepping out about midway, drops it before her, and fends it with her foot to the oppofite

row,

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