112 KACHAL AND OTHER ISLANDS 



belonging to his father, and written by de Roepstorff, who is 

 now almost forgotten. Yassan was more intelligent than his 

 companions, and we made arrangements with him to obtain for 

 us a collection of charms and curiosities. 



He was a man of some standing locally, was thrice-wedded, 

 kept each of his "better-halves" in a separate house, and was 

 at the time blessed with three children, all the offspring of one 

 proud mother. Our conversation was carried on in Malay ; 

 but on one occasion, when we were at fault as to his meaning, 

 he was asked to explain himself in Hindustani. He smiled 

 rather wickedly, and immediately surpassed a Kling in volubility. 

 Thereafter we stuck to the easier language, and guessed what 

 we did not understand. These natives undoubtedly include some 

 wonderful linguists among their number. 



Once or twice the cJiinchews* of the junks brought for 

 treatment Chinese suffering from malaria ; the crews, they said, 

 always contracted fever when visiting the Nicobars, and even 

 if they do not suffer from it on the spot, it invariably occurs 

 before reaching Penang. These particular vessels had been 

 only a month at Great Nicobar, and a fortnight at this place, 

 obtaining copra and rattan, but already several members of 

 the crews were incapacitated from hard work. 



Those junks trading at the Nicobars — where they remain 

 during the greater portion of the north-east monsoon — that 

 come immediately from Singapore, but originally from China, 

 make the voyage and return between the last-named two places 

 in the other (south-west) monsoon, which is the bad weather 

 season in these waters, but the contrary in the China Sea. 



The houses in the village were very similar in appearance 

 to those we had just left, but were roofed with attaps of 

 pandanus leaf The process of thatching cannot be an enjoy- 

 able occupation, for either edge of the pandanus leaf is armed 

 with a row of thorns, while the lower side of the mid-rib is 

 provided with a third row set in the reverse direction ; thus 

 in brushing against a clump of young pandanus one is not 



* Supercargoes. 



