Whenever they seated themselves to sing, a person was selected to occupy a conspicuous station, and perform a dance round the circle, slowly, and in the most graceful native style, striking at the same time the hollow of his left arm with his right hand, in time with the music of their voices. This distinction was always conferred upon some one who had obtained an old jacket or tattered shirt. If he had on a jacket, it was sure to be buttoned closely round him, with the two or three remaining buttons, and the sleeves, if not torn off, would probably not reach more than half the length of his arms. Thus attired, he would perform his evolutions round the circle slowly, and with a most serious air, stopping occasionally to receive the applause of the singers, who bestowed it upon him with great enthusiasm. Soon after daylight, one morning I was on the beach, and my curiosity led me to a place, where a number of females were busily employed in collecting something from the rocks. When I approached them they discontinued their occupation, and would have fled, but I called them back, and prevailed upon them to renew their occupation. Each of them was provided with a green leaf, in which she was gathering from the rocks a species of fine green sea moss and small snails. What they preserved in the leaf was intended for their families at home. They ate freely of them, and said it was "motake." The moss was tender, but to me had no other taste than that of salt water, with which it was covered at high tide. The snails were not larger than a pea, covered with a hard shell, and when broken, heated the tongue like pepper. The moss, when gathered, had a most disgusting appearance. I was told by the Englishmen, residing here, that the natives esteem it a very great delicacy. One of the females had an infant with her a few months old, which she was teaching to swim by holding it in a pool of water, and occasionally letting it go. The infant would make a slight effort, when let go by the mother, and, no doubt, was taught to swim almost as soon as it could walk. On the third of October, in walking through the habitable part of the valley, I was every where met by females, who addressed me with a smile, and finely modulated tone of voice, "Coare ta whyhene?"[6] The father of one of these, good naturedly conducted me to the hut of a chief, highest in blood of any in the valley. He was a man upwards of fifty, and apparently more civilized than any of the natives I had seen before. He told the interpreter to say, that he felt pleasure in seeing me at his hut. It was about forty by twenty feet, and constructed in the same way as that occupied by the Happah chief, differing in no respect from those of the common people, except in dimensions. His rank and importance was displayed in the possession of six muskets, and two casks of powder that hung directly fronting the door, and which the chief took occasion to point out to me soon after I entered.