370 



A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER 



»? 



A very large species of Screw-pine (Pandanus), with a fruit 

 as big as a man's head, is common along the shore. It is a com- 

 mon East Indian littoral plant. The stem, though large, is soft 

 and succulent, and hence with a small axe one can enjoy all the 

 pleasure of felling a large tree without any fatigue. The deep 

 cut made by a single blow is most gratifying to one's feelings of 

 power, and having cut down one tree to obtain a specimen of the 

 fruit, I found myself felling two or three others wantonly. 



On the Island of Wokan, not far from the anchorage, Sago 

 palms abound in the swamps. Several parties of natives from 

 the back country were living near the shore, having come from a 

 distance in their boats, to prepare a store of sago to take home 

 with them. 



They lived in small low-roofed houses made of poles and 

 reeds, and raised on posts about two feet above the swampy 

 ground. These temporary houses were so low that the natives 



HOUSE OF BACK-COUNTRY NATIVES. WOKAN ISLAND. 



could only squat or lie in them. The men were darker than the 

 inhabitants of Wokan in the neighbourhood, and looked to me 

 more Papuan in appearance. They were armed with finely- 

 made spears with iron blade-like points, six or eight inches long, 

 and ornamented worked wooden handles. They would not part 

 with these at any price. 



They resented my looking into their house, no doubt because 

 the women were there. The women seemed extremely shy, and 



