40 THE CINQUES AND LITTLE ANDAMAN 



down the forearm, and the wash was applied to the legs from 

 mid-thigh to shin. Several natives, besides this simple adorn- 

 ment, were daubed on head and shoulders with a greasy mixture 

 of red pigment and fat. 



The heads of both sexes were in various stages between 

 baldness and a covering of hair of fair thickness : they shave, 

 however, before the tufts reach the spiral state seen in the 

 natives frequenting Port Blair, and the hair is never allowed 

 to attain any length on temples and nape. Like those seen at 

 Rutland Island, their bodies were free from the tattooing or scarifi- 

 cation so noticeable on the South Andamanese. The man who 

 seemed to be chief of the tribe provided the only case of 

 elephantiasis remarked among these islands : it occurred with him 

 in a very mild form — merely a slight swelling of the left leg.* 



Having taken a series of photographs, during which opera- 

 tion the women were the cause of much laughter, as they stood 

 in a row before the camera, we started off westwards along 

 the beach to visit the village and obtain more curiosities. 

 We set a rattling pace along the hot sand, to see what the little 

 people could do ; but when, after travelling nearly four miles, 

 we reached the huts they occupied, those who had started with 

 us were still up, although they had to break into a jog trot 

 now and then to keep their position. They moved with a 

 very springy action, and a swing of the body from the hips. 



The huts stand singly, at distances of several hundred yards 

 from each other, just within the shade of the jungle where it 

 comes down to the beach, and are very different in style and 

 construction from the majority of those of the northern islands. 

 They are built to the shape of a somewhat flattened cone, about 13 

 feet high, and 30 feet in diameter. On a framework of light sticks, 



* Scurvy is more prevalent on Little than on Great Andaman, perhaps 

 owing to the low-lying swampy formation of the larger portion of the island. 

 Hereditary syphilis is believed to be common among the Onges, having been 

 possibly introduced at some remote period prior to the occupation of 1858. 

 Whether it is to be traced to Malay pirates, or through the Jarawa tribes to 

 the Settlement of 1789, will never be ascertained, but, in coming to a conclusion, 

 the Nicobarese must also be considered as a factor in the case. 



