In a Native Prau. 415 



on the boom, it is a very dangerous thing to have them stand- 

 ing when overtaken by a squall. Our crew, though numerous 

 enough for a vessel of 700 instead of TO tons, have it very 

 much their own way, and there seems to be seldom more than 

 a dozen at work at a time. When any thing important is to 

 be done, however, all start up willingly enough ; but then all 

 think themselves at liberty to give their opinion, and half a doz- 

 en voices are heard giving orders, and there is such a shriek- 

 ing and confusion that it seems wonderful any thing gets done 

 at all. 



Considering we have fifty men of several tribes and tongues 

 on board, wild, half-savage looking fellows, and few of them 

 feeling any of the restraints of morality or education, we get 

 on wonderfully well. There is no fighting or quarrelling, as 

 there would certainly be among the same number of Europeans 

 with as little restraint upon their actions, and there is scarcely 

 any of that noise and excitement which might be expected. 

 In fine weather the greater part of them are quietly enjoying 

 themselves — some are sleeping under the shadow of the sails ; 

 others, in little groups of three or four, are talking or chewing 

 betel ; one is making a new handle to his chopping-knife, an- 

 other is stitching away at a new pair of trowsers or a shirt, 

 and all are as quiet and well-conducted as on board the best- 

 ordered English merchantman. Two or three take it by turns 

 to watch in the bows and see after the braces and halyards of 

 the great sails ; the two steersmen are below in the steerage ; 

 our captain, or the juragan, gives the course, guided partly by 

 the compass and partly by the direction of the wind, and a 

 watch of two or three on the poop look after the trimming of 

 the sails and call out the hours by the water-clock. This is a 

 very ingenious contrivance, which measures time well in both 

 rough weather and fine. It is simply a bucket half filled Avith 

 water, in which floats the half of a well-scraped cocoa-nut 

 shell. In the bottom of this shell is a very small hole, so 

 that when placed to float in the bucket a fine thread of water 

 squirts up into it. This gradually fills the shell, and the size 

 of the hole is so adjusted to the cajDacity of the vessel that, 

 exactly at the end of an hour, plump it goes to the bottom. 

 The watch then cries out the number of hours from sunrise, 

 and sets the shell afloat again empty. This is a very good 



