196 MUSTER OF THE PARTY. 



ant out shootinjj likewise, and with him no less a 

 person than Caleb Balderston, as we had christened 

 his faithful domestic. In their company we returned 

 to Pritie. 



Soon after breakfast our party began to muster, 

 each man armed with a long condemned Tower musket. 

 On one of them I was surprised to recognize the name 

 of a marine who had belonged to the Beagle in 1827. 

 The powder they used was of the coarsest kind, 

 carried in small pieces of bamboo, each containing 

 a charge, and fitted in a case of skin, something 

 like our cartouch boxes. As a substitute for balls 

 they used holts of stone, from two to three inches 

 long. Besides a musket, each had a huge knife or 

 chopper, stuck in his belt. 1 was much struck with 

 the simple contrivance they had for shoes : a piece 

 of the fan palm plaited together and tied under the 

 foot. The number of uses to which this tree is 

 applied is astonishing — for making water-buckets, 

 for thatching houses, filling up the panel work of 

 doors, and a variety of others I could mention. 



It was late before we could muster all our force ; 

 but we at length got away, commandant and all. I 

 w^as much pleased with the respect every one paid 

 him, especially as he was one of those mild kind 

 persons who require very little. Soon after leaving 

 the village we halted in a shady spot, near a stream 

 of M'ater, some of our party being still missing. 

 This gave me a good opportunity of comparing the 

 features of the Malay and Timoree, for some of 



