222 THE CRUISE OF THE ' CUKAQUA.' 



and bows with arrows sliglitly made, and with poisoned 

 points. 



Besides being tattooed, and ha\dng their noses and ears 

 pierced to admit shell ornaments, they wore round their 

 arms above the elbow very pretty armlets made of discs 

 of shell ground into the shapes required, black and white 

 disposed alternately. They were often so tight upon the 

 arm that neitlier I nor the wearers could remove them. 

 ' Garters of a green leaf were often tied tight round the 

 leg under the knee ; and in one or two instances the crisp 

 hair, which was in general of a moderate length, was 

 gathered up into a large topknot coloured yellow by lime, 

 and a neat plume of cock's feathei's attached to the scratch- 

 ing pin inserted in it.' ' Their bows and arrows ' were of 

 beautifid designs, the heads being either carved with barbs 

 resembling the finest Gothic work, or composed of several 

 prongs (which they told us were poisoned), and kept 

 wrapped up in banana leaves, inserted in sockets prettily 

 ornamented witli I'ed and white plaited cord, and decorated 

 witli a bunch of cock's feathers.' '■' It is evident that in 

 artistic skill and taste tliev are not deficient. They con- 

 sented to part with some of their arms for a trifle ; their 

 bows were not strongly made, aiul the strings were thick 

 but not strong ; the bottom of the arrow is made without 



' Erskine, p. 325. Murray cites this and other of Erskine's descrip- 

 tions, which he says are exact, in his ' Missions to Western Polynesia," 

 p. 226. 



2 Ibid. 



