AND MANAGING THEM. 17 



When desirous of making' sail, the first process is 

 to set up in the l:>o^^• t^^•o poles as masts, and on the 

 weather side a long-er and stouter one is hiid across 

 the g-unwalc; and projects outwards and backwards 

 as an outrig'g-er. These are further supported b}^ stays 

 and g'u^'s, and, tog"ether with another long* pole 

 forked at the end, serve as a frame to support the 

 pressure of the sails, "which are usually two in num- 

 ber, made of matting* of pandanus leaves, and ave- 

 rag'e four and a half feet in ^\idth and twelve in 

 heig'ht. The sails have a slender pole on each side 

 to Avhich the matting* is secured by small peg*s ; 

 when set, they are put up on end side by side, tra- 

 vellino- alono* the backstay by means of a cane 

 gromet. When blowing* fresh it is usual to keep 

 a man standing* on the temporar^^ outrig*g*er to coun- 

 teract by his weig-ht the inclination of the canoe to 

 leeward. From the whole sail being* placed in the 

 bow these canoes make much leeway, but when 

 g*oing* free may attain a maximum speed of seven or 

 eig*ht knots an hour. Except in smooth water the}^ 

 are very wet, and the bailer (a melon shell) is in 

 constant requisition. 



The inhabitants of the mainland and Prince of 

 Wales Islands use the spear and throwing*-stick, but 

 throughout the remainder of Torres Strait bows and 

 arrows are the chief weapons. The bows, which are 

 large and powerful, are made of split bamboo, and 

 the arroAAS of a cane procured from New Guinea, 

 afterwards headed with hard wood variously pointed 



VOL. II. c 



