The next day was the one appointed for the ceremonies. The boys were expectant, because during all their experiences in the islands, this was the first time they had an opportunity to witness one of these spectacles.
It was noticed that no preparations were made for a morning meal by the natives. All were specially garbed for the occasion, if the colored decorations counted for anything in the way of additional clothing.
They were adept in the art of weaving cloth, which was made in small sections, and sewn together, similar to the practice in most of these primitive countries. They were not altogether devoid of knowledge pertaining to dyes, the most frequent being blue, which John soon ascertained came from some copper deposits.
The Madder plant was the most common on the island, and this afforded a red color, the most lasting of all dyes, and the most generally in use throughout the civilized world, until the aniline dyes took its place.
For black they resorted to the common method of using carbon which is the stock material in our own country. This was produced by them from[p. 79] burnt wood, and not from any of the coal products.
Their faces were painted a hideous red and blue, principally in the nature of great zig-zag stripes, and the exposed parts, of the bodies were of diverse figures, some of them really artistic. The preparation of these personal decorations consumed the greater portion of the night, as the boys afterwards learned.
When they emerged from their hut in the morning, and saw the grotesque figures all about the village, they could hardly repress a smile; but as every one was smiling and happy, they did not have to make any pretentions, but smiled and laughed as the men and women circled about, because they couldn't help themselves.
The women were not so gaudily attired as the men. Their decorations were expended on clothing, as it was not considered good form to decorate their bodies.
All the men carried spears, and many of them were wicked-looking instruments. What surprised them was the fact that all the spear-points were now covered over, or bound up by colored material, forming a sort of sphere, to which three colored streamers were attached, one white, one red and the other blue.
"My, but they are patriotic!" remarked George, as he saw the design and the streamers.