A POKOMO DAINTY 



35 



ashore to try to spear a bird. The bowman happened to drop 

 his paddle into the river, and while trying to recover it he lost 

 his hold of the bank. The rapid current at once swung the 

 canoe out into the stream, and swept us broadside on towards 

 some " snags " in a rapid. Fortunately a galvanised iron 

 washing basin with which I had been baling was ready to 

 hand, and using this as a paddle I managed to steer the canoe 

 down the rapids, and then to the bank in the quiet water below 

 them. 



At the next village I went ashore for some food. A native 

 had killed a crocodile the day before, and it was now being 

 cooked. The man who killed it was the hero of the village ; 

 he looked very happy, for the feat conferred on him the rights 

 of manhood, and he could now be married. I made the usual 

 sign of hunger, and the kind-hearted natives pressed on me the 

 best they could offer. Crocodile intestine cut open and baked 

 in the ashes of a wood fire is esteemed the greatest delicacy in 

 the Pokomo bill of fare, and a supply of this was at once 

 offered me. I pointed to some old Indian corn cobs beside the 

 fire, and signed to them that I should prefer some of these. 

 The natives appeared a little hurt at my low tastes, and pressed 

 the crocodile's guts so warmly upon me that I felt bound to 

 accept them, and grin with gratitude, if not with pleasure. 



I gave the people some strings of beads, and returned to 

 the mau with my treasure. My canoemen both smacked their 

 lips at the prospect of a share in such a feast, and though I 

 chewed the cartilage till my jaws ached, the men had a far 

 larger share of the spoil than they had expected. 



Late the same afternoon (2nd of January 1893) we reached 

 our camp at Vuju in Ngatana, where I found that all was well. 

 There was no news from Witu, so I settled down to rest and 

 wait, hoping that the tax on my patience would not be a long 

 one. We had now spent six dreary weeks on the low coast- 

 lands, and I was yearning for the mountains and high plateaux 

 of the interior. 



