uch skill, that the
numerous body of dancers seemed to act, as if they were one great
machine. It was the opinion of every one of us, that such a performance
would have met with universal applause on a European theatre; and it so
far exceeded any attempt we had made to entertain them, that they seemed
to pique themselves upon the superiority they had over us. As to our
musical instruments, they held none of them in the least esteem, except
the drum; and even that they did not think equal to their own. Our
French horns, in particular, seemed to be held in great contempt; for
neither here, nor at any other of the islands, would they pay the
smallest attention to them.

In order to give them a more favourable opinion of English amusements,
and to leave their minds fully impressed with the deepest sense of our
superior attainments, I directed some fireworks to be got ready; and,
after it was dark, played them off in the presence of Feenou, the other
chiefs, and a vast concourse of their people. Some of the preparations
we found damaged; but others of them were in excellent order, and
succeeded so perfectly, as to answer the end I had in view. Our water
and sky-rockets, in particular, pleased and astonished them beyond all
conception; and the scale was now turned in our favour.

This, however, seemed only to furnish them with an additional motive to
proceed to fresh exertions of their very singular dexterity; and our
fireworks were no sooner ended, than a succession of dances, which
Feenou had got ready for our entertainment, began. As[160] a prelude to
them, a band of music, or chorus of eighteen men, seated themselves
before us, in the centre of the circle, composed by the numerous
spectators, the area of which was to be the scene of the exhibitions.
Four or five of this band had pieces of large bamboo, from three to five
or six feet long, each managed by one man, who held it nearly in a
vertical position, the upper end open, but the other end closed by one
of the joints. With this close end, the performers kept constantly
striking the ground, though slowly, thus producing different notes,
according to the different lengths of the instruments, but all of them
of the hollow or base sort; to counteract which, a person kept striking
quickly, and with two sticks, a piece of the same substance, split, and
laid along the ground, and, by that means, furnishing a tone as acute
as those produced by the others were grave. The rest