PURCHASING CANOES 55 



large number of canoes made at Parimaii, and in nearly 

 every case the balance was perfect when they were 

 first put into the water. 



The canoes are usually propelled by paddles with 

 long thin shafts and wide blades which are often beau- 

 tifully carved, but in shallow places or rapid water 

 the natives generally employ a long pole in the use of 

 which they are very expert. It is easy enough to 

 stand up and paddle or pole in large canoes, but the 

 smaller craft are very top-heavy, and the natives per- 

 form wonderful feats of balancing in navigating them. 

 Their education begins early for we saw in one of the 

 villages small canoes three or four feet long, in which 

 the children begin to learn the craft of the waterman 

 almost before they have learned to walk. 



Though the people value their canoes very highly 

 they w^ere anxious enough to part with them in exchange 

 for our knives and pieces of metal, of which they had 

 none at all, and we very soon had a small fleet of canoes. 

 The first two were bought for a knife apiece, but the price 

 soon rose to an axe for a canoe, and in the course of 

 several months it had still further risen to two axes 

 or even two axes and a knife. 



Within a few days of the arrival of our coolies we 

 had purchased half a dozen canoes and preparations 

 were made to send an exploring party up the river. 

 At that time we were none of us skilful canoe-men and 

 it was considered safer to use the canoes as rafts by 

 lashing two side by side and securing a platform of 

 bamboos across the top. This was a most cumbrous 

 arrangement which added enormously to the labour 



