52 KAR NICOBAR 



panions, for many of the houses in the village contained perhaps 

 twenty inmates ; doubtless, also, it is well for babies not to be 

 subjected to too much companionship and attention.* 



Again in the village we made the acquaintance of the 

 oldest inhabitant, yclept " Friend of England," who, judging 

 from the number of his chits, is a man of some note and many 

 acquaintances. 



Clothed at first in an infinitesimal native garment, he retired 

 for a few moments, and then appeared in white jacket, knicker- 

 bockers, and top hat, carefully brushed in the wrong direction. 

 He, too, would pay us a visit on board, provided that liquid 

 sustenance were afforded ; and having satisfied himself on this 

 point, he intimated that we might count on his appearance 

 that afternoon. 



Our attention was attracted by a somewhat rude mechanical 

 contrivance, beneath a tree, which we were told was a press 

 for extracting oil from coconuts. Two large blocks of wood, 

 one above the other, were placed closely against the trunk. 

 In the upper surface of the topmost log a shallow depression 

 had been made, and from this a channel ran to one edge, 

 which ended in a kind of lip. In the trunk itself a hole 

 had been scooped, to receive the end of a long beam of 

 wood. 



A quantity of coconut kernel having been placed in the basin, 

 the beam is inserted in the tree, and a native standing on the 

 outer end, by jumping up and down exerts so much pressure 

 on the coconut that the oil oozes out, and running down the 

 channel, drips from the lip into an earthenware pot placed 

 beneath. 



Here and there about the houses stood a kind of bench- 

 seat, that was merely the limb of a tree with several of the 



• Cf. Uyak custom, " When an interesting event is about to happen, the lady 

 is secluded in a small house, where she remains for several months, during 

 which no stranger is allowed to enter the \s.\)XP—The Head-hunters of Borneo, 

 by Carl Hock. 



The practice of couvade is said to exist among the Nicobarese, but we heard 

 nothing of it during our visit. 



