WABOOTA 243 



telegraph wire, and it might as well have been wire, for 

 all the impression I made upon it. 



The drinking-vessels of the people were interesting. 

 They were made of the largest bamboo, and were six 

 to eight feet long. The partition at each joint had 

 been knocked out, and a wad of leaves answered for a 

 stopple. They held a great deal of water, but to ^b tain 

 a drink from one required skill. If one tipped the end 

 a trifle too high, he received quite a deluge of water. 



There was a little boy at Narinuma named Waboota, 

 who was a born naturalist. He was, perhaps, ten 

 years old ; but he knew where various insects could be 

 found, and, moreover, had an eye to trade. He was 

 often about where we were, skinning birds or killing 

 and drying insects ; and his mother could scarcely 

 persuade him to go to his meals. The moment he was 

 in possession of his roasted yam and leaf of mashed 

 pumpkin, or " moushna," back he would come, to 

 watch us while he ate. 



One day he brought us a monstrous black beetle, 

 two inches and a half long, for which we gave him a 

 few beads. He asked if we wanted more, and upon 

 our telling him we would take all he could get, he 

 started off on the run. We did not see him again till 

 evening, when he came in, bringing three more of the 

 same kind. He said he obtained them in bamboo ; but 

 that it was hard work, as he had no knife to split the 

 reed open. The next morning, we let him take a 



