CHAPTER II 



THE NICOBAR ISLANDS AND THEIR ABORIGINES 



The Nicobar Islands and their Aborigines — The Islands — Coral Banks — 

 Nankauri Harbour — Population — Geology — Earthquakes — Climate — Flora 

 — History — The Shorn Pen: their Derivation, Appearance, Houses, 

 Gardens, Cooking - vessel, Domestic Animals, Manufactures, Trade, 

 Clothing, Headmen, Position of Women, Disposition, Diseases. 



The Nicobars He 80 miles south of the Andaman group and 

 1 10 miles from Sumatra proper, and constitute a chain of 

 islands 160 miles long, lying in a N.N.W. | W. direction, with a 

 branch forking out from their centre N. by E. The area of the 

 group is about 600 square miles, and it consists of some twenty 

 islands, of which the principal are, Kar Nicobar, Batti Malv, 

 Tilanchong, Chaura, Teressa, Bompoka, Kamorta, Trinkat, 

 Nankauri, Kachal, Little Nicobar, and Great Nicobar. 



Besides these, there are several small satellite islands : Great 

 Nicobar possesses Kondul and Kabra ; Little Nicobar, Milo 

 and Menchal, with Treis, Trak, and Meroe further off; and 

 lastly, near the south extremity of Tilanchong, there is the 

 rocky islet named " Isle of Man." * There are villages on Kondul 

 and Milo, but Batti Malv and Tilanchong are uninhabited. 



Two large isolated coral banks occur — one near Chaura, 

 with only i ^ fathoms of water ; and another, far more extensive, 

 in the Sombrero Channel, with 1 1 fathoms of water above it. 



Although the Nicobar Islands are scarcely ever heard of, 

 the China Mail boats and other great ocean steamers pass 

 almost in sight of them nearly every day, and they possess in 

 * After Mr E. H. Man. 



