474 The Aeu Islands. 



told me it was quite a common thing, and that they are rarely 

 without fighting somewhere near. Individual quarrels are 

 taken up by villages and tribes, and the non-payment of the 

 stipulated price for a wife is one of the most frequent causes 

 of bitterness and bloodshed. One of the war-shields was 

 brought me to look at. It was made of rattans, and covered 

 with cotton twist, so as to be both light, strong, and very tough. 

 I should think it would resist any ordinary bullet. About the 

 middle there was an arm-hole, with a shutter or flaj) over it. 

 This enables the arm to be put through and the bow drawn, 

 while the body and face, up to the eyes, remained protected, 

 which can not be done if the shield is carried on the arm by 

 loops attached at the back in the ordinary way. A fcAV of 

 the young men from our house went to help their friends, but 

 I could not hear that any of them were hurt, or that there was 

 much hard fighting. 



May 9ith. — I had now been six weeks at Wanumbai, but 

 for more than half the time was laid up in the house with ul- 

 cerated feet. My stores being nearly exhausted, and my bird 

 and insect boxes full, and having no immediate prospect of 

 getting the use of my legs again, I determined on returning to 

 Dobbo. Birds had lately become rather scarce, and the para- 

 dise birds had not yet become as plentiful as the natives as- 

 sured me they would be in another month. The Wanumbai 

 people seemed very sorry at my departure; and well they 

 might be, for the shells and insects they picked up on the 

 way to and from their plantations, and the birds the little 

 boys shot with their bows and arrows, kept them all well 

 supplied with tobacco and gambir, besides enabling them 

 to accumulate a stock of beads and coppers for future ex- 

 penses. The owner of the house was supplied gratis with a 

 little rice, fish, or salt, whenever he asked for it, which I must 

 say was not very often. On parting, I distributed among 

 them my remnant stock of salt and tobacco, and gave my host 

 a flask of arrack, and believe that on the whole my stay with 

 these simple and good-natured people was productive of pleas- 

 ure and profit to both parties. I fully intended to come back ; 

 and had I knoAvn that circumstances would have prevented 

 my doing so, should have felt some sorrow in leaving a j^lace 

 where I had first seen so many rare and beautiful living things. 



