The New Britain Currency, or Shell-money. 40 



long, and containing eight shells, out of his basket, which 

 he always carries under his arm, and turning to one of the 

 women, buys a parcel containing four or five betel nuts and 

 about a dozen pepper berries, then the friends have a social 

 chew instead of " a social glass." Here are women buying 

 six yams, or six taro, for a piece of " tabu " six inches in 

 length, or forty shells. There is a man with a large fish 

 and a string of small ones, he does not exchange them for 

 yams or taro, but gets half a fathom for the former, and a 

 (piarter for the latter, then Avith part of it he buys his taro 

 and a few parcels of betel nut, enough to last till next 

 market-day, and returns home with the balance in his 

 basket. Yonder is a woman selling lime in little bags of 

 pandanus leaves sewn together, she gets eight shells for each 

 bag. There is another selling eight ripe bananas for seven 

 shells, and cooked taro for six shells each. Here is another 

 selling puddings made of nuts and taro, or j^oung taro leaves 

 cooked in cocoanut milk, at the rate of seven shells per 

 parcel. This man has bought a small packet of parrot 

 feathers for dance decorations or fancy spears, and has given 

 twenty shells for it. So we might note many similar 

 transactions. A roll of cane for fish-trap making, for half a 

 fathom ; a fancy spear adorned with feathers, for three- 

 quarters of a fathom. All this we have seen, but we have 

 heard much moi-e. One man pays a deposit on an unborn 

 pig or dog. The beach-man hands his European trade over 

 to a bvishman to sell on commission, and the latter bargains 

 with the former to sell his cassowary, or cockatoo, for a 

 commission also. We hear them giving orders and making- 

 appointments. How strange it is to hear them calling ten 

 shells five, and eight four, and so with all the numbers. 

 Yes, but it is the custom with "tabu," but with "tabu" 

 only. We hear the names for the various lengths of " tabu," 

 viz., a tip, for any amount up to ten shells; a tip na arip, 

 twenty shells ; a waratuJc, forty shells ; a bed, eighty 

 shells, or a quarter of a fathom ; a papara, a half fathom ; 

 a p>okono, a fathom ; a viina em tabu, two fathoms ; 

 a gaina, three fathoms ; a arip, ten fathoms. (These names 

 vary in the different districts.) 



Now let us go with a trading party from this town to a 

 distant one. See what keen traders these people are. One 

 has brought a stock of betel nut which he bought at the 

 rate of eight shells, to sell again for twelve or eighteen. 

 Another has bought a sucking pig for two fathoms, to sell 



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