OUR VISIT TO THE NICOBARS IO7 



consists of a series of shallow bays with sandy beaches, separated by rocky 

 promontories. Behind the shore one saw undulating hills rising towards 

 the interior. Overlying everything was a dark, dense forest extending from 

 the coast to the highest peaks. In some of the bays stood a few huts sur- 

 rounded by coconut groves, but generally speaking the habitation seemed 

 extremely sparse. 



At midday we cast anchor in a large bay at the southern extremity of 

 Great Nicobar. This bay is still called Galathea Bay after the corvette 

 Galathea, which stopped there for a few days in February 1846 in order 

 to survey the waters and explore the land. Incidentally, it was interesting 

 to see that even the latest British charts which we were using were based 

 on the survey of the Nicobars made by the Galathea in 1846. 



Owing to the persistently heavy swell in this rather open bay, it was 

 somewhat difficult to effect a landing. The first party succeeded in jump- 

 ing on to a coral reef in half a metre of water, but soon afterwards the 

 tide rose so high that the rest had to go ashore on the flat sandy beach. 

 Eventually, a large proportion of the crew managed to land, and then 

 we quickly separated, going off in different directions to attend to our 

 various duties. In 1846, there had been a village in the bay, but the in- 



The host's brother arriving at the head of a 

 procession, carrying the skull of the host's 

 dead son. He has a newly killed chicken 

 hanging round his neck. 



