KAIKA. 47 



the part of the men to give me such names ; and that when they 

 did so, they usually uttered them in a low tone as though it was 

 not the proper thing to speak of the women b}' name to others. 

 This is especially noticeable when a man of the common class is 

 asked the name of one of the chiefs wives. On more than one 

 occasion, when referring by name to the chiefs principal wife in the 

 course of a conversation with a native, I learned from the look of 

 surprise, which the mention of the name elicited, that I had, unwit- 

 tingly, been guilty of a breach of etiquette. 



During the surveying season of 1883, which we passed among the 

 islands of Bougainville Straits, we were witnesses of the mourning 

 ceremonials that were observed in connection with the death of 

 Kaika, the principal wife of the Shortland chief, or the queen as 

 Gorai was pleased to call her. It was in the beginning of July that 

 I tirst made the acquaintance of Kaika, Gorai having asked me to 

 visit her as she was suffering from some indisposition. A month 

 passed away before I again saw my royal patient, and on this 

 occasion the chief accompanied me to his house. Here I found 

 Kaika quite recovered from her illness, a result which she attributed 

 to some medicine which I had given her. She was reclinins: in a 

 broken down easy-chair, the gift of a trader, engaged in working an 

 armlet of beads, and clad only in the usual " sulu " or waist-handker- 

 chief In age Kaika was probably between 25 and 30, her general 

 appearance being that of a woman superior in caste to most of her 

 fellow-wives. For a native, her features were good and regular, her 

 figure slim but well proportioned, her carriage graceful. Her clean 

 skin and bushy head of hair, dyed a magenta hue by the use of red 

 ochreous earth, added to the general effect of her appearance. 



Whilst sitting down beside Gorai and his spouse, the latter 

 showed me her little boy who was nearly blind. I was much struck 

 with the tenderness displayed in the manner of both the parents 

 towards their little son, who, seated on his mother's lap, placed his 

 hand in that of his father, when he was directed to raise his eyes 

 towards the light for my inspection. 



The work of the ship .took us away from Alu ; and when we 

 returned after an absence of five weeks, we learned that Kaika was 

 dying. Landing on the ensuing day to see if I could be of any ser- 

 vice, I was told that Kaika was dead; and as I stepped out of my 

 Rob Roy, I received a message from Gorai to come and visit him. 

 I found the old chief seated on the ground in front of his house, 



