The next day, a party of us dined with our former ship-mate, Oedidee,
on fish and pork. The hog weighed about thirty pounds; and it may be
worth mentioning, that it was alive, dressed, and brought upon the
table within the hour. We had but just dined, when Otoo came and asked
me if my belly was full. On my answering in the affirmative, he
said, "Then, come along with me." I accordingly went with him to his
father's, where I found some people employed in dressing two girls
with a prodigious quantity of fine cloth, after a very singular
fashion: The one end of each piece of cloth, of which there were
a good many, was held up over the heads of the girls, while the
remainder was wrapped round their bodies, under the arm-pits; then the
upper ends were let fall, and hung down in folds to the ground,
over the other, so as to bear some resemblance to a circular
hoop-petticoat. Afterward, round the outside of all, were wrapped
several pieces of differently-coloured cloth, which considerably
increased the size; so that it was not less than five or six yards
in circuit, and the weight of this singular attire was as much as
the poor girls could support. To each were hang two _taames_,
or breast-plates, by way of enriching the whole, and giving it a
picturesque appearance. Thus equipped, they were conducted on board
the ship, together with several hogs, and a quantity of fruit, which,
with the cloth, was a present to me from Otoo's father. Persons of
either sex, dressed in this manner, are called _atee_; but, I believe,
it is never practised, except when large presents of cloth are to be
made. At least, I never saw it practised upon any other occasion; nor,
indeed, had I ever such a present before; but both Captain Clerke and
I had cloth given to us afterward, thus wrapped round the bearers. The
next day, I had a present of five hogs and some fruit from Otoo;
and one hog and some fruit from each of his sisters. Nor were other