162 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



hair, also, was thick, bushy, and tangled. They wore it pretty long, 

 and one of them had it parted in five large tufts about his head. 



"Their clothing consisted of a strip of fine matting worn as a inaro, 

 and a coarser piece tied about the hips. The former was braided of 

 the pandanus-leaf. It was about ten feet long by eight inches in 

 width, being much narrower than those worn at Fakaafo. It had, 

 however, a thick fringe on each side, which increased its breadth, 

 and made it more serviceable as a covering. There were also slips 

 of pandanus-leuf, a foot long, colored red, attached to the girdle by 

 way of ornament, and having much the appearance of ribbons. 



" The natives had two or three rolls of coarse sinnet, which they sold 

 us, with a few large wooden shark-hooks. From their equipment we 

 presumed that they had set out with the intention of fishing, before 

 they perceived our ship. Besides these, the only articles they pos- 

 sessed were their weapons, and the fact that they would not leave 

 their homes unarmed gives reason to suppose that they were on bad 

 terms with some of their fellow-islanders. They had with them only 

 spears and knives. The former were merely poles of cocoa-nut wood 

 sharpened at one end. The knives were also of wood, in the shape of 

 a short sabre ; along each side was a row of small shark's-teeth, fas- 

 tened on with thread and gum. From the appearance of the weapon, 

 we should suppose it might be very formidable among a naked people 

 like these ; but it is rather fitted to inflict ragged and dangerous 

 gashes, than for destroying life. 



"One of the men declared himself to be a chief, and was treated as 

 such by his companions. On being asked how many houses there 

 were on shore, he answered immediately fifty (e lima ~gafulu}. This 

 probably referred only to his own village, for the circumstance of 

 their being sometimes at war makes it likely that the inhabitants do 

 not live, like the peaceful natives of Fakaafo, united in one town. 



" When they had been alongside about half an hour, we left them, 

 and stood on to meet the schooner, which had passed to the other side 

 of the island. By nightfall we came up with her, and both vessels 

 proceeded on their course for Depeyster's Island,* situated about fifty 

 miles to the northwest. After being delayed three days by baffling 

 winds, we at length reached it, on the morning of the 18th, having, 



* The name of Depeyster was given to this island (Nukufetau) by the discoverer. 

 We have extended it to the whole group, of which Vaitupu, sometimes called Tracy's 

 Island, is the principal. 



