Teeth are white; their Hair is black,
and thick, and lank, which they wear but short; it will just cover
their Ears, and so it is cut round very even. Their Skins are of a
very dark copper colour.

They wear no Hat, Cap, nor Turban, nor any thing to keep off the
Sun. The Men for the biggest part have only a small Clout to cover
their Nakedness; some of them have Jackets made of Plantain-leaves,
which were as rough as any Bear's-skin: I never saw such rugged
Things. The Women have a short Petticoat made of Cotton, which comes a
little below their Knees. It is a thick sort of stubborn Cloth, which
they make themselves of their Cotton. Both Men and Women do wear large
Ear-rings, made of that yellow Metal before mentioned. Whether it were
Gold or no I cannot positively say: I took it to be so; it was heavy,
and of the colour of our paler Gold. I would fain have brought away
some to have satisfied my Curiosity; but I had nothing where with
to buy any. Captain Read bought two of these Rings with some Iron,
of which the People are very greedy; and he would have bought more,
thinking he was come to a very fair Market, but that the paleness of
the Metal made him and the Crew distrust its being right Gold. For
my part, I should have ventured on the purchase of some, but having
no property in the Iron, of which we had great store on board, sent
from England, by the Merchants along with Captain Swan, I durst not
barter it away.

These Rings when first polished look very gloriously, but time makes
them fade, and turn to a pale yellow. Then they make a soft Paste
of red Earth, and smearing it over their Rings, they cast them into
a quick Fire, where they remain till they be red hot; then they take
them out and cool them in Water, and rub off the Paste; and they look
again of a glorious Colour and Lustre.

These People make but small low Houses. The sides which are made of
small Posts, watled with Boughs, are not above 4 foot and a half high:
the Ridge-pole is about 7 or 8 foot high. They have a Fire-place
at one end of their Houses, and Boards placed on the Ground to lye
on. They inhabit together in small Villages built on the sides and
tops of rocky Hills, 3 or 4 rows of Houses one above another, and on
such steep Precipices, that they go up to the first Row with a wooden
Ladder, and so with a Ladder still from every Story up to that above
it, there being no way to ascend. The Plain on the first Precipice may
be so wide, as to h