OF THE TONGA PEOPLE.

301

“ formed a double circle as at the beginning,“ danced and repeated very quickly, and finally“ closed with several very dexterous transposi-“ tions of the two circles.

“ The entertainments of this memorable“ night concluded with a dance, in which the“ principal people present exhibited. It re-“ sembled the immediately preceding one in“ some respects, having the same number of“ performers, who began nearly in the same“ way: but their ending at each interval was“ different; for they increased their motions“ to a prodigious quickness, shaking their heads“ from shoulder to shoulder, with such force,“ that a spectator unaccustomed to the sight“ would suppose that they ran a risk of dislo-“ eating their necks. This was attended with“ a smart clapping of the hands, and a kind of“ savage holla! or shriek, not unlike what is“ sometimes practised in the comic dances in“ our European theatres. They formed the“ triple semicircle as the preceding dancers“ had done, and a person who advanced at the“ head on one side of the semicircle began, by“ repeating something in a truly musical recita-“ tive, which was delivered with an air so grace-“ ful, as might put to the blush our most ap-“ plauded performers. He w r as answmred in“ the same manner by the person at the head