258 XETV GUINEA. [chap. 



a turtle harpoon aud line, the latter coiled up neatly in a little 

 basket. Amidships lay the bamboo fish-spears, of a kind in use 

 in most islands from the South Seas to Singapore, split at the 

 top mto five or six points, which are pro^'ided with barbs pointing 

 inwards. They can either be shot from a bow, thrown, or used for 

 stabbing. A bow and a bundle of arrows almost invariably com- 

 pleted the equipment. 



"While in Marchesa Bay we got quite friendly with an elderly 

 and mild-mannered savage, who had also visited us at our former 

 anchorage. He came on board every day and spent hours in 

 examming the ship and her fittings, carrying his little son on his 

 back meanwhile, as the sight of Dick, our large black retriever, 

 terrified him gi-eatly. "VYe tried two or three times to photograph 

 them, but they evidently did not like the operation, and our plates 

 were failures. Finally we succeeded in getting an instantaneous 

 portrait of them as they sat m the canoe, unconscious of what was 

 taking place. From this old fellow, who knew a few words of 

 Malay, I obtained a small vocabulary. The language, as I after- 

 wards found, is identical with that spoken on the neighbouring 

 coasts of the mainland, and the islands of Misol and Salwatti.^ 



On the 23rd of October we left Batanta for Waigiou. In the 

 Dutch chart the ominous word Gevaren? (dangers) and a little 

 phalanx of dots and crosses indicated that for more than eight 

 miles off the east end of the former island a network of rocks and 

 reefs was supposed to extend. Captain Hakkers of the Sing-Tjin 

 had, nevertheless, told us that the passage northwards was feasible 

 by keeping tolerably close to the island, and we resolved to attempt 

 it. Just at the most doubtful part, ha\ing caught sight of the 

 bottom beneath the ship, a tremendous storm of rain burst upon 

 us, so thick that we could hardly see a dozen yards ahead. We 

 had been going dead slow before, but now stopped entirely until 

 the weather cleared. This it did shortly afterwards, and we 

 proceeded without further incident. The passage is probably fairly 

 1 Vide Appendix V. p. 383. 



