Note 88 — Chapter XVI

Mr. Norris well describes the dancing of the women: “Each had a long tail fixed to her rump, which seemed to be a slip of leopard skin sewed up and stuffed, which, by a dexterous wriggle of her hips, she whirled round like a string with surprising velocity.” Mr. Duncan shows disapproval of the practice, but Mr. Duncan belonged to the respectable class, which “approves of” only its own practices. “Four tall men, singularly dressed, and with bullocks’ tails tied so as to hang over their hips behind, arranged themselves in line in front of his Majesty, and by passing at the side step, lowering and poising the body by the bend of the knee, causing the tail to make a circular motion of a disgusting appearance.” Why “disgusting?”