436 A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



exactly like the shouts with which the savages at Api in the 

 Xew Hebrides greeted the ship. 



The masses of lights glimmered from the very water level, as 

 could be seen from the mode of reflection of the flashes in the 

 water. The villages of pile-dwellings of Ungrau and Tobaddi 

 were giving the alarm and were being answered by the people 

 of Wawah on the other side of the Bay. We could see the 

 bright lights moving about, and waving to and fro as they were 

 carried by the excited natives along the platforms of the pile- 

 built villages, and could catch a glimpse of the shadows of the 

 natives' bodies as they passed between us and the light. 



Just as the anchor was let go in 15 fathoms, a light appeared 

 on the water close to the ship, and a canoe was evidently 

 reconnoitring us, but the natives were shy and wary, and the 

 light disappeared again for some time. Then it was again seen 

 close at hand, being waved up and down ; and a native stand- 

 ing up delivered a volley of his language. 



Lights were placed at the gangways and were waved as a 

 token of friendship, and all sorts of encouragemeDts were used, 

 but the canoe kept at a distance, paddling to and fro. The only 

 word we caught was " sigor," "sigor!" The canoes had two 

 paddlers, one at either end, apparently boys, and a full-grown 

 savage on the small platform in the centre. 



The savage on the platform had his huge mop-like head of 

 hair set off by a radiant halo of feathers stuck into it, and decked 

 with a broad fillet of scarlet Hibiscus flowers, placed under the 

 edge of the mop, above his forehead. As he blew up his smoul- 

 dering fire-stick into a blaze, his dark face glowing in the light 

 and set off by the scarlet blossoms, formed a most striking, but 

 at the same time most savage spectacle. 



The canoe at last dropped under the stern, the natives shout- 

 ing still " sigor " " sigor!" I leaned over the stern boat, and threw 

 down a gaudy handkerchief. It was at once fished out of the 

 water with a four-pronged fish-spear, and examined by the glow 

 of the fire-stick, and then another canoe which was approaching, 

 and which contained four natives, was shouted to in the most 

 excited language, expressive evidently of satisfaction. 



Sigor being supposed to mean " tobacco," a cigar was let 



