268 DESCEIPTION OF CANOE. 



of a chief. He called a small canoe along'side^ and 

 g'etting' under the mizen chains attempted to climb 

 up at once^ and appeared surprised that the privilege 

 of coming* on board denied to the other natives was 

 not immediately extended to him. He was^ how- 

 ever^ accidentally allowed to come up the side and 

 remain on deck for a short time. He was a tall 

 slender man^ of about forty years of ag-e^ with sharp 

 Jewish features^ — his face and chest were painted 

 blacky and he wore a crest of cassowary feathers 

 across his head. 



This larg-e canoe measured about forty feet in 

 lenoi:h, and was constructed of a hollowed out tree 

 raised upon with larg'e planks forming* a long* coffin- 

 like box^ closed with hig'h end boards eleg-antly 

 carved and painted. Two rows of carved fishes ran 

 along* the sides^ and both ends were peaked^ the bow 

 rising* hig*her than the stern^ and^ like it^ but more 

 profusely^ decorated with car\dng' painted red and 

 white^ streamers of palm-leaf, eg'g*-cowries^ and 

 plumes of cassowary feathers. The outrig'g*er frame 

 work was completely covered over^ forming* a larg*e 

 platform above the centre of which a small stag*e 

 rested on a strong* projecting* beam the outer end 

 of which was carved into the fig'ure of a bird^ while 

 the inner reached to the centre of the body of the 

 canoe^ and served to support the mast. The planks 

 forming* the sides were strong*ly supported by knees 

 where each of the ten or twelve outrig'g'er poles 

 passes through one side and rests against the other^ 



