ANXIOUS ENQUIRIES. 305 
Rarik’s mother, drawing from her ears the 
beautiful white flower of the lily kind, so care- 
fully cultivated here as an indispensable orna- 
ment of the female sex, did her best to fasten 
it into mine with strings of grass, while the 
people expressed their sympathy by continual 
cries of “* Aidarah.” In the mean time the 
young girls were employed in pressing into 
muscle-shells the juice of the Pandanus, which 
they presented to us, with a sort of sweet- 
meat called Mogan, prepared from the same 
fruit; the flavour of both is very agreeable. 
We were now overwhelmed with questions 
from all sides; to which, from our imperfect 
knowledge of their language, we could return 
but few answers. Rarik and Lagediak expressed 
their astonishment at the size of our ship, in- 
quired what was become of the Rurik, and, whe- 
ther their friends Timaro, Tamiso, &c. (Schisch- 
maref and Chamisso) were still living, how 
they were, and why they did not accompany us. 
After the first ebullition of joy at our meet- 
ing, I thought I perceived by the deportment 
of Rarik, that he had something on his mind ; 
