540 Gunnar Landtiman. 



When the canoës came nearer, Itali'a took a stick, lighted the end of it, and with a hissing 

 Sound the stick flew away and burst close to the canoës. But the people in the canoës were 

 not frightened and started to shoot. Itali'a's people waited for him to shoot first, and at length 

 he fired and called out, „Gaméa — corne on — give him!" The crew fired and kept on shooting, 

 and twelve canoës on that side floated away with the people in them dead, and then they turned 

 to the other side, and twelve more canoës fioated away unmanned. „Some man corne close to, 

 catch hold steamer," the narrator went on, „people no look. I take small revolver, shoot him. 

 Some man jump on top steamer; me fellow take knife, eut him along knife, eut him, eut him. 

 Me fellow dance along steamer, fight, dance, fight, dance, eut him. Some man shoot him along 

 gun, say, 'Let him all finish!'" Mäinou was attacked by one of the enemy whom he ran through 

 with his knife, hut the fellow did not let go his hold till Gaméa shot him with his revolver. The 

 engine began to work, and the steamer got away. The crew lay down to rest, but Itah'a ordered 

 them to throw the dead bodies overboard and wash the deck. 



At Âuti in Kiwai Italia wanted to buy a tame hornbill from a man named Gabia. As the 

 latter did not want to part with his pet Italia fired off a rocket, and Gabia feil down in terror 

 and cried, „You take that ivdea (hornbill)!" Italia gave him some red calico and a knife in 

 payment. One of Gabfa's arms consisted of a short stump onlj', for a crocodile had bitten off 

 the rest of it. 



At Mibu the party had to wait for favourable weather, and as they ran short of food 

 Italia sent some of the crew to buy provisions in Kiwai. On their arrivai at Mawdta Italia wanted 

 Màinou to give him a pig and kept him on board till Gaméa had brought the pig över, and then 

 he gave payment and released Mäinou. 



Italia stayed four weeks at Mawåta, and after a time he' wanted another pig. But the 

 people did not want to give him any and refused to take the things which he offered in payment. 

 Then Italia threatened to shoot them and fired a shot över their heads. Duåne tried to wring the 

 gun from him, and there was a scuffle, but in the end the people gave Italia a pig and received 

 good payment for it. 



Gaméa and Duäne were sent by Italia with a message to another white man vvho stayed 

 in Davåne, and on their way back with a letter from that man they met Italia on his steamer 

 and were towed to Davåne. There they parted from Italia who gave them two pounds of tobacco. 

 That was the last they saw of him. (Gaméa, Mawäta). 



AN EARLY VISIT OF SOME PEARLING BOATS TO MAWATA. 



498. Long ago when the narrator was a small boy a number of pearling boats came 

 sailing to Mawåta and anchored at the mouth of the Bi'natüri. The crews consisted of Malays, 

 South-sea men, and some Yam islanders, but there were no white men on board. The Mawåta 

 men sent the women and children awaj' into the bush vvhere they put up some huts in a coconut 

 grove. The strangers wanted to buy provisions, and for ten coconuts or a bunch of bananas 

 they gave only quite a small pièce of tobacco. The -Mawåta men hardly dared go near enough 

 to snatch the tobacco out of the hands of the purchasers and then bolt. They vvarned their 



Tom. XLVII. 



