28 BURifA, ITS PEOPLE AXD PRODUCTIOXS. 



one had been working in the breathless heat of a dense tropical jungle the whole 

 day from early morning till evening, except during the short time it took ns to nin 

 from Treis to Moroe. The siui was now near setting, and the Captain, who did not 

 like our position, and who had strictly ordered that all boats were to be aboard by 

 sunset, fired a gun for the remaining boat. One or two lascars and one Europt^an 

 made their appearance on the beach ; but after loitering there opposite the boat for 

 some time, turned back again and disajjpeared. The sun liad now set, a second gun 

 •was fired, of which no one took the smallest notice. By the waning light we could 

 still make out with our glasses the boat anchored outside the heavy surf, and tho 

 canoe hauled up u])on the beach. AVe heard several .shots fired from time to time. 

 Then we fired a third gun, but tho rising moon showed boat and canoe 'as you was,' 

 and that no sort of attempt was being made to acknowledge our summons. The 

 Captain (liking, as most captains do, to have his orders attended to) began to get 

 angry. A boat was now launched, and the second officer sent otf to ordei- the immc^- 

 diate return of tlie boat. The Captain expressed his iutcutiou of favouring the chief 

 officer when he did come with a piece of his mind, and was very wrath. We 

 watched our messenger boat an.xiously, the wind was against her and the sea rather 

 rough ; at last we made out that a landing had been cfl'ected. Then for a long time 

 was silence and darkness, for clouds veiled the moon. We waited, waited, waited, 

 at last out came the moon, and we saw our boat with sail up gliding rapidly towards 

 us. With a fair and steady breeze and a tir.st-rate sailor at the helm, that boat could 

 not have been very long making the ship, but seemed to us an age. When it did 

 come, D. was up the companion-ladder in a moment, and in another was on tho pooj). 

 He brushed through us without a word, and walked straight to the Captain, who stood 

 quietly by the binnacle, touched his cap, and made the u.sual report, ' Come on board. 

 Sir.' The Captain on his part had never moved an inch ; he merely said, ' Why 

 is the cutter detained?' Again the touch of the cap, 'Br. StoUczka is lost, Sir/' 

 Then D. told us that towards sunset the chief officer and Mackay (the executive 

 engineer at Port Blair, who had joined our party), though already fairly worn out, had 

 started in opposite directions to round the island, a work of inconceivable difficulty, 

 cruel thorny jungle plunging down into the surf, alternating with knife edge reefs 

 of coral and deep pools, and that they had only succeeded in making their way back 

 to the landing-place after D.'s arrival, their shoes and clothes cut to pieces, and that 

 he had left them exhausted on the beach. 



It was at once decided to send out the strongest expedition we could muster. 

 Every one that could be spared, though most of these were dead beat, volunteered, 

 even Dr. Dougall, who never would be bothered landing anywhere, with the true 

 instinct of his profession, now that there was real hard work to do, was one of the 

 first in the boats. It was past ten before the ex])edition got off, and near eleven 

 before the first sigiud rang out ' all landed safely ' — welcome enough in its way, 

 considering the surf tlu'ough which no English boat could live a moment, and the 

 necessity of landing two at a time in a frail canoe. 



It was half-past one, when suddenly a faint flickering light glimmered out 

 towards tho end of the jungle, like a star struggling through a thick cloud ; then 

 it grew a little lii'ightcr, then a second light apjieared, and we saw men coming to the 

 water's edge. Three guns were now fired, the signal of ' all well,' followed by three 

 ringing cheers, and tho rhilosophcr was found. It seems that in working his way 

 back to the landing-place ho had become involved in a cane jungle, in which, 

 after struggling for some hours, he had sunk exhausted till rescued by the party 

 despatched in search of him, and even llu!y would ju-obably have failed to make their 

 way through the terrible thickets, but for tho aid rendered them by a couple of 

 Nicobarese well used to the work, armed with axes and cutlasses to clear a way 

 by a union of skill and force. In so doing, they had it seems caught occasional 

 glimpses of what looked like big spiders scuttling past ; and when the Philosopher was 

 found, and they were all on their way back to the boat, the ' Geologist ' with a rush 

 put his foot on one, and, despite its vehement struggles, held it till a light was brought. 

 Then it appeared that the sujjposed sjiider was a gigantic crustacean of the most 

 dangerous and pugnacious nature. After many attempts he was secured with creepers, 



