ANDAMAN ISLANDS. 19 



parts of the Enflern world, the natives are ufed to file their 

 teeth-into the form of thofe of the canine fpecies. 



Frederic C^far, a traveller of authority *, failed by thefe 

 iilands about the year 1564; he made the fame report of their 

 barbarity, and adds, that they refufe all commerce with ftrangers, 

 and have fmall barks with which they attack and take any 

 vefTels they can mafter, and kill and eat the prifoners. C^/ar 

 met with two of their barks, having on board nuts and fruit; 

 they refufed money, and were prevaled on to exchange fome 

 of their fruits for old rags, but could not be induced by any 

 means to come on board. 



Hamilton t fpeaks of them as a fearlefs people; that they will 

 fwimoffto any boat which approaches their ifland, and attack it 

 with their wooden weapons in defiance of numbers, of our muf- 

 'quetry,andofthemiffive and defenfive weapons of iron and fteel. 

 They annually make an excurfion in their preos or little barks 

 to their neighbors of the Nicobar illes, and kill and take pri- 

 foners all they can. The Nicobarians are a quiet people, but 

 once they took courage, and colleding their force, gave battle, 

 and totally defeated their barbarous enemies. The fame writer, 

 from the report of a native who had been taken prifoner wheri 

 young by fome Nicobarians^ and was converted toMahometanifm, 

 made frequent voyages to his native iflands, and often returned 

 with four or five hundred weight of quickfilver, with which he 

 find they abounded. 



The whole of the greater Andaman is fkirted with fma'l 

 iflands. Mr. Dalrymp/e makes mention of a clufter inhabited by 



* Purchas, ii. 1710. t Vol. ii. 65. 



D 2 men 



