OUR VISIT TO THE NICOBARS IO5 



After the celebration the skulls are re-buried in their coverings, ranged 

 in definite order so that they can be identified when next they are wanted. 

 The trimmings are carefully preserved till the next celebration. When 

 the skulls have taken part in a certain number of celebrations and the 

 memory of the deceased person has been forgotten, they are buried for 

 good. 



It was difficult to tear ourselves away from this remarkable spectacle, 

 but we were now invited to tea outside a neighbouring hut, where every- 

 thing had been assembled that the village could produce in the way of 

 chairs and seats, including a few old deck-chairs. Here we were rejoined 

 by the queen, who had been unable to visit the hut as the canoe with 

 her gifts had not yet arrived. She was offered a deck-chair, but her rather 

 considerable weight being too much for it, it collapsed with a crash and 

 her Majesty landed on the ground with both legs in the air. However, 

 she took it all in good part and was given another chair. The refreshments 

 consisted of sweet tea with bananas and jackfruits. 



The tea-party was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of shouting 

 which reached us from the landing-stage. On hurrying to the spot we 

 were just in time to witness the arrival of two large and richly decorated 

 canoes. To the accompaniment of gong-sounding, lamentations from the 

 men, and a chorus of wails from the women, they were hauled ashore. 

 They had come from the neighbouring island of Trincut, and one of the 

 boats had brought the skull of a child, the host's son, who had died there, 

 and which was now about to attend its first funeral ceremony. 



Before the skull was taken into the hut two young men gave a display of 

 single combat with poles on the beach. Their only dress was loin-cloths and 

 black helmets of plaited coir. They aimed formidable blows at each other 

 with solid poles that were longer than a man's height, parrying and 

 ducking and taking fresh aim. The muscular brown figures looked splendid 

 in the glow from the torches, and the whole performance was a powerful 

 denial of the reputation for indolence foisted on the natives by earlier 

 expeditions. It looked rather tough and both men took some hard knocks, 

 but these combats, which are referred to in old Danish reports including 

 Bille's, are now only sham fights. In the past they would often end in the 

 death of one of the combatants; this time the fight was stopped when one 

 of them had been forced on to his knees in the water. After the combat the 

 skull was carried in procession into the hut on a litter of palm leaves. 

 The host's brother, who led the procession, had a freshly killed and plucked 

 chicken hanging round his neck. The meaning of this piece of sym- 

 bolism we were unable to find out, and I am sure that we missed many 



