58 KAR XICOBAR 



A very different character was my shikari " Little John," 

 native name unknown. This man was perhaps, on the whole, the 

 best specimen physically of a Nicobarese that we came across. 

 A handsome, rather scornful, face, with aquiline nose, was only 

 spoiled by the occurrence of the Mongolian fold in the inner 

 corner of the eyelids. His curly black hair was worn long, 

 in a thick bushy mass, as far as his shoulders, where it was cut 

 off straight across. Though only 5 feet 6 inches in height, 

 he was splendidly built: was 40 inches round the chest, I3|- 

 inches round the biceps, and 15 inches round the calf The 

 natives admitted that he was about the strongest man in the 

 village of Mus.* 



He was awfully keen on collecting ; could creep noiselessly 

 through the jungle, and saw birds that I took long to dis- 

 tinguish, even after he had pointed them out. He was also 

 a good " pot-shot," and nothing delighted him more than to 

 carry the gun, and after having it loaded with cartridge 

 suitable to the occasion, to fire at and bring down the 

 specimen, when he would hand the weapon to me and dash 

 away amongst the undergrowth to retrieve his booty, bringing 

 it back with the greatest care. 



He was an unwearying hunter, and would often creep about 

 for ten minutes at a time, under some tree, in order to point 

 out for my approval, and get a clear shot at, some bird whose 

 presence he had discovered in the dense foliage. 



He used to accompany us on board the schooner, and after 

 having breakfasted with the crew, would sit in the cabin with 

 a cigar, watching us as we worked at the skins, and improving 

 his little English by constant inquiries: "How you call dis? 

 What you call dat ? " 



The desire of the Nicobarese to learn words, and acquire 

 the name of anything they do not know, is great, and their 

 powers of memory are astonishing. The exercise of these 

 linguistic abilities is most marked in the headmen, or " captains '"' 



* His portrait is, unfortunately, a failure, as he seems to have moved 

 slightly during the time of exposure. 



