344 NATIVE SPOUTS. 



over-heels, much to the amusement of the spectators, 

 and equally to his own discomfiture. 



As one of the Port Essington natives, a very fine 

 active man, had accompanied us on shore, we per- 

 suaded him, with some difficulty, to join in the 

 dance, thinking that the quickness of eye, so com- 

 mon to all savages, would enable him to avoid the 

 spear ; but in this we were all disappointed, as he 

 was struck nearly every time the spear was thrown. 

 After the dance was over sundry gymnastics followed, 

 and the evening was wound up by an exhibition of 

 the Ombres Chinoises^m which the soldiers seemed to 

 take very great delight. The moving figures were 

 very cleverly managed; and, to judge from the 

 shouts of laughter which accompanied the story- 

 teller in his tale, it must have been a very amusing 

 one. 



Juli/ 5. — The Resident having invited us to visit 

 the nutmeg plantations on Great Banda, we accom- 

 panied him to the landing-place at Lontar, where we 

 found chairs waiting for us, fitted with long poles, 

 like those of a sedan, and were carried by eight 

 men, who placed the poles on their shoulders, thus 

 raising the chair, with its occupant, above their 

 heads, a position which we found at first any thing 

 but pleasant. 



In these conveyances we ascended to the summit 

 of the island by a broad flight of stone steps, leading 

 up from the landing-place, at the top of which we 



